BepiColombo spacecraft arrives at Mercury

A spacecraft carrying European and Japanese probes completed an eight-year journey to Mercury on Thursday, beginning a high-risk arrival phase that will prepare the mission for detailed studies of the Sun-scorched planet.

The BepiColombo mission, launched from Earth in 2018, has travelled more than 10 billion kilometres along a winding route designed to adjust its speed and trajectory through nine planetary flybys. The European Space Agency has described the arrival as one of its most operationally challenging planetary sequences ever attempted.

The European Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and Japan's Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (Mio) will separate from the transfer module. Scientists say Mercury's small mass gives it relatively weak gravity, making it difficult for spacecraft to approach without being pulled towards the Sun or lost into space.