THE BepiColombo spacecraft is on its way to Mercury after a successful launch from French Guiana on 20 October.
The joint mission by the European Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency aims to probe some of Mercury鈥檚 mysteries, such as its odd magnetic field, weird pools of ice and hollows unlike anything we have seen on other planets.
But before BepiColombo can do that, it has to get to Mercury, a Herculean task because of the sun鈥檚 powerful gravity. To avoid flying right past Mercury and falling into the sun, the craft will take the scenic route. It will loop back around Earth once, Venus twice and Mercury six times to get the energy it needs to get into orbit around Mercury.
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If all goes well, BepiColombo will reach its final destination in December 2025.
This article appeared in print under the headline 鈥淭aking the scenic route to Mercury鈥�
