Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun, remains somewhat of a mystery to us.
The BepiColombo mission will place two orbiters around Mercury: the European-made Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO), seen here, that will map the planet, and Japanese-made Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO), that will investigate its magnetosphere. Credits: ESA – P. Carril
In the past, because of its proximity to the Sun, it has been difficult for Earth-based telescopes to observe Mercury against the ferocious solar light. In 2015, to increase our understanding of this mysterious planet, Europe is launching BepiColombo, the first dedicated mission to Mercury. It will reach its destination in 2022.
Its observations of Mercury should also offer new insights into the workings of extra-solar planets in other solar systems. These planets, which like Mercury are formed in very close proximity to their parent star the sun, are a hot topic in planetary science and astronomy at the moment.
Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter will orbit tightly around Mercury, coming as close as 400 x 1500 km from the planet’s heat-radiating surface. In certain orbital positions, when the orbiter comes between the Sun on one side and Mercury on the other, it will have to endure temperatures as high as 450°C. As one of the scientific objectives, BepiColombo will make a complete map of Mercury at different wavelengths. The mission will map the planet’s mineralogy and elemental composition and determine whether or not its interior is molten.
BepiColombo will provide information on the composition and history of Mercury, and the history and formation of the inner planets in general, including Earth.
Filed under: Mercury
