Research
BepiColombo
Built by European Space Agency (ESA) & Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
Updated Jun 2026·methodology
Overview
BepiColombo is Europe's first mission to Mercury. Launched on 20 October 2018, it is on a seven year journey to the smallest and least explored terrestrial planet in our Solar System. When it arrives at Mercury in late 2025, it will endure temperatures in excess of 350 °C and gather data during its one-year nominal mission, with a possible one-year extension.
Specifications
Category: Research- Payload
- 1,400 kg
- Weight
- 4,100 kg
- Launch year
- 2018
- Price
- Contact for quote
- Status
- active
Detailed specifications
Sensors1
- Sensor Suite
- MPO scientific payload and MMO instruments; ESA factsheet lists MPO instruments including MGNS, BELA, ISA, MERTIS, MORE, SERENA, SIXS, SIMBIO-SYS, and PHEBUS, and MMO instruments including MGF, MPPE, PWI, MSASI, and MDM
Other13
- Price Tier
- 150K+
- Applications
- visual_inspection,dimensional_measurement,surface_inspection
- Sub Category
- spacecraft
- Datasheet Url
- View Link
- Model Variants
- Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO),Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO),Mercury Transport Module (MTM),Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter’s Sunshield and Interface Structure (MOSIF)
- Operating Temp
- in excess of 350 °C at Mercury
- Company Country
- INTL
- Deployment Count
- 1
- Deployment Notes
- Launched October 2018; Earth flyby April 2020; Venus flybys Oct 2020, Aug 2021; Mercury flybys Oct 2021, Jun 2022, Jun 2023, Sep 2024, Dec 2024, Jan 2025; Arrival at Mercury Nov 2026; Science orbit early 2027; End of nominal mission April 2028; End of planned extended mission April 2029.
- Industries Served
- space_research
- Availability Status
- available
- Countries Available
- International (ESA member states, Japan, US)
- Additional Information
- Joint endeavour between ESA and JAXA,JAXA provides the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter and ESA provides the Mercury Planetary Orbiter, the Mercury Transfer Module, and the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter’s Sunshield and Interface Structure (MOSIF).,BepiColombo will be only the third mission to visit Mercury, and the second to enter orbit.,The mission is named in honour of the Italian mathematician and engineer Giuseppe (Bepi) Colombo (1920–84).
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