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09/01/2025
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On 8 January 2025, the ESA/JAXA BepiColombo expedition soared past Mercury for the sixth occasion, effectively accomplishing the last ‘gravity assist maneuver’ required to direct it into orbit around the planet by late 2026. The spacecraft flew merely a few hundred kilometers above the planet’s northern pole. Detailed images reveal potentially icy craters with floors perpetually in darkness, alongside the extensive sunlit northern plains.
At 06:59 CET, BepiColombo flew just 295 km above Mercury’s landscape on the planet’s frigid, shadowy night side. Approximately seven minutes afterward, it passed directly over Mercury’s north pole before acquiring unobstructed views of the planet’s illuminated northern region.
European Space Agency (ESA) Director General Josef Aschbacher unveiled the first image during his Annual Press Briefing on 9 January. As with BepiColombo’s prior flybys, the monitoring cameras (M-CAMs) on the spacecraft did not let down expectations.
This flyby also signifies the final opportunity for the mission’s M-CAMs to capture close-up images of Mercury, as the spacecraft module they are attached to will separate from the mission’s two orbiters – ESA’s Mercury Planetary Orbiter and JAXA’s Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter – prior to their entry into orbit around Mercury in late 2026.
In celebration of the M-CAMs’ last showcase, let’s delve into the top three images from BepiColombo’s sixth close encounter with the small planet, and what they disclose about the enigmatic Mercury.
Gazing into Mercury’s most concealed craters
After traversing Mercury’s shadow, BepiColombo’s monitoring camera 1 (M-CAM 1) obtained the first close inspections of Mercury’s terrain. Passing over the ‘terminator’ – the division between day and night – the spacecraft seized a rare chance to gaze directly into the eternally shaded craters up at the planet’s north pole.
The rims of craters Prokofiev, Kandinsky, Tolkien, and Gordimer cast enduring shadows on their interiors. This renders these unlit craters as some of the coldest locations in the Solar System, even though Mercury is the nearest planet to the Sun!
Interestingly, there exists evidence suggesting that these shadowy craters harbor frozen water. Unraveling whether genuine water exists on Mercury is one of the predominant Mercury mysteries that BepiColombo will explore once it reaches orbit around the planet.
A surface molded by collisions and lava
To the left of Mercury’s north pole in M-CAM 1’s perspective lies the extensive volcanic plains known as Borealis Planitia. These represent Mercury’s largest area of ‘smooth plains’ developed from the extensive eruption of fluid lava approximately 3.7 billion years ago.
This lava inundated existing craters, such as the highlighted Henri and Lismer craters in the image. The surface’s wrinkles formed over billions of years following the cooling of the lava, likely as a result of the planet’s contraction as its interior cooled.
Another image captured by M-CAM 1, taken a mere five minutes after the first, displays that these plains cover a significant portion of Mercury’s terrain. Prominently apparent is the Mendelssohn crater, whose outer edge is faintly visible above its submerged interior. Only a few smaller, more recent impact craters alter the pristine surface.
In the distance, but still within Borealis Planitia, the Rustaveli crater faced a similar fate.
On the bottom left of the image resides the colossal Caloris basin, the largest impact crater on Mercury, stretching more than 1500 km. The impact that formed this basin scarred the surface of Mercury thousands of kilometers away, as shown by the linear troughs radiating from it.
Above one notably large trough, a boomerang-shaped curve illuminates the terrain. This bright lava flow seems to connect to a deep trough below it. It resembles the color of both the lava on the floor of the Caloris basin and that of Borealis Planitia further north. Once again, a mystery that BepiColombo intends to resolve is the direction of this lava movement: into the Caloris basin, or out of it?
On Mercury, a luminous surface indicates youth
Although M-CAM’s visuals might not consistently suggest it, Mercury is an extraordinarily dim planet. At first glance, the cratered world may resemble the Moon, yet its pockmarked surface reflects only about two-thirds of the light.
On this dim world, younger characteristics on the surface typically look more radiant. Scientists remain uncertain about the precise composition of Mercury, but it is evident that substrates brought up from below the exterior gradually darken over time.
BepiColombo’s third snapshot chosen from this flyby, captured by M-CAM 2, features stunning instances of the two factors that deliver luminous material to the surface: volcanic processes and significant impacts.
The bright region near the top edge of the planet in this image is the Nathair Facula, the result of the most significant volcanic eruption on Mercury. In the center lies a volcanic vent approximately 40 km wide that has witnessed at least three substantial eruptions. The explosive volcanic deposit spans at least 300 km in diameter.
Additionally, to the left is the relatively young Fonteyn crater, which formed a ‘mere’ 300 million years ago. Its youth is evident from the radiance of the impact debris spreading from it.
Throughout its mission, multiple BepiColombo instruments will assess the composition of both ancient and recent sections of the planet’s exterior. This will enhance our understanding of Mercury’s composition and the processes behind its formation.
Concluding with elegance
This is the inaugural occasion that we have conducted two flyby campaigns sequentially. This flyby occurs just over a month following the last one,” states Frank Budnik, BepiColombo Flight Dynamics Manager. “From our initial evaluation, everything unfolded smoothly and without flaw.”
“Although BepiColombo’s primary mission phase is set to commence in two years, all six of its flybys of Mercury have provided us with priceless new insights about this minimally explored planet. In the upcoming weeks, the BepiColombo team will strive diligently to decode as many of Mercury’s secrets using the data from this flyby as possible,” concludes Geraint Jones, BepiColombo’s Project Scientist at ESA.
About BepiColombo
Initiated on 20 October 2018, BepiColombo is a collaborative mission between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), carried out under ESA’s supervision. It represents Europe’s first mission to Mercury.
The mission consists of two scientific orbiters: ESA’s Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and JAXA’s Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (Mio). The European Mercury Transfer Module (MTM) transports the orbiters to Mercury.
Upon arriving at Mercury in late 2026, the spacecraft will detach, and the two orbiters will navigate to their designated polar orbits around the planet. Commencing scientific operations in early 2027, both orbiters will collect data during a one-year primary mission, which may be extended by an additional year.
All M-CAM images will be publicly accessible in the Planetary Science Archive.
For further inquiries, please reach out:
ESA media relations
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