BepiColombo — launch
Date in UTC
BepiColombo is a joint mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to the planet Mercury. The mission comprises two orbiters: the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO), built and operated by ESA, and Mio (Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter, MMO), built and operated by JAXA. Together the satellites will perform a comprehensive study of Mercury, including characterization of its magnetic field, magnetosphere, and both interior and surface structure. During the cruise phase to reach Mercury, the orbiters were in a stacked configuration with two additional components: the Mercury Transfer Module (MTM), which provided power and solar electric propulsion for the cruise, and the Magnetospheric Orbiter Sunshield and Interface (MOSIF), which protects Mio from the harsh solar radiation until it is deployed.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BepiColombo. Related NASA reference: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/bepicolombo/. Description adapted from Wikipedia contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).
- Category
- Launches and Flight Tests
- Type
- Orbital launch
- Subjects
- Space transportation
- Mission
- BepiColombo
- Organization
- Arianespace, Inc.
- Vehicle
- Ariane 5ECA
- Location
- Centre Spatial Guyanais, Kourou, Guyane Francaise
- Country
- FR
- Outcome
- Successful
Sources and attribution
- Jonathan McDowell — General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects (opens in a new tab) — Data from GCAT (J. McDowell, planet4589.org/space/gcat), CC BY 4.0. Adapted into anniversary records. (CC BY 4.0)
- Wikipedia — BepiColombo (opens in a new tab) — Adapted from Wikipedia contributors; selected sentences retained and edited for length, reference markers and pronunciation glosses. CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ Article and edit history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BepiColombo (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Timeline of Space Exploration Missions 1957 to 2031 (opens in a new tab)
- NASA — BepiColombo (opens in a new tab)
- NASA NSSDCA — BepiColombo (opens in a new tab)
