Most deep space missions send spacecraft hurtling far from the sun1+ Archives into the frozen unknown hundreds of millions of miles beyond Earth. But on Friday, the European Space Agency (ESA) will blast two orbiters to heavily cratered Mercury, the planet closest to the sun.
Liftoff of the two craft — collectively called BepiColombo — is scheduled for 9:45 p.m. ET on Friday. It can be watched live here.
A European Ariane 5 rocket will lift BepiColombo into space. The two craft will then spend seven years traveling through the void before arriving at their Mercury destination, a metallic outpost in a relatively warm part of the solar system.
Read on for the vital facts about this monumental excursion.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Radiation-blasted Mercury is still a little explored place.
Only two NASA spacecraft, Mariner 10 and Messenger, have visited Mercury before, with Messenger intentionally crashing into the planet in 2015.
By improving our understanding Mercury's composition, atmosphere, and magnetism, scientists can better understand how rocky-Earth-like planets came to be — and provide insight into whether other far-off solar systems may have formed similar planets.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
"Exploring Mercury is therefore fundamental to answering important astrophysical and philosophical questions such as 'Are Earth-like planets common in the Galaxy?'," the ESA writes.
Like many great spacecraft — here's looking at you, Hubble and Kepler — BepiColombo is named after a scientist.
"The mission is named after the Italian mathematician and engineer Giuseppe (Bepi) Colombo (1920–84)," ESA said in a statement.
"He is known for explaining Mercury’s peculiar characteristic of rotating about its own axis three times in every two orbits of the Sun."
Now Colombo's namesake is heading to the planet he helped us all get to know a little better.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
BepiColombo is made up of two different spacecraft with two very different jobs.
One craft, called the Mercury Planetary Orbiter, will carry 11 scientific instruments to the small planet; they're all focused on mapping Mercury and the space environment that surrounds it.
The other spacecraft, called Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter, was built by Japan's space agency and will focus on studying the planet's magnetic environment.
BepiColombo's sensitive instruments will encounter temperatures rivaling those in a pizza oven. But ESA has a plan to keep the two spacecraft nice and cool.
"To cope with this, the spacecraft’s external items, such as the antennas, solar arrays, Sun sensors, and multilayer insulation, have temperature-resistant outer layers and protective coatings, which were individually qualified to prove their capability," ESA said in a statement.
The Mercury Planetary Orbiter will also come equipped with a radiator designed to reflect heat from the spacecraft, keeping it functioning even when close to the sun.
It's not exactly a quick trip to the closest planet to the sun.
Once BepiColombo launches, it should travel through space for a little over 7 years before making it into orbit around Mercury.
Before beginning its orbit of Mercury in 2025, the spacecraft will flyby Earth in 2020, flyby Venus in 2020 and 2021, and then perform six different flybys of Mercury before making it into orbit.
Elon Musk's DOGE.gov website can apparently be edited by anyone
Wordle today: The answer and hints for April 21, 2025
'The Last of Us' Season 2: Who is Eugene, the man Joel killed?
This cable management hack is only $7.89 at Amazon
Ms. Frizzle spotted at Science Marches across the globe
NYT Connections hints and answers for April 19: Tips to solve 'Connections' #678.
With Caltrain boost, California high speed rail is paying dividends
Amazon Book Sale: Shop early deals now
Apple's newest ad makes a haunting plea to take climate change seriously
How to watch 'Conclave' at home: Release date, streaming deals, and more
New 'browser syncjacking' cyberattack lets hackers take over your computer via Chrome
Insta360 X5 action camera announcement: Key specs, pricing
Today's Hurdle hints and answers for April 22, 2025
Today's Hurdle hints and answers for April 19, 2025
How to Get Your Significant Other Into Gaming
Best coffee maker deal: Get $20 off the Keurig K
Best earbuds deal: Take 20% off the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro at Amazon
NYT Strands hints, answers for April 21
NYT Connections hints and answers for February 1: Tips to solve 'Connections' #601.
Apple iPhone 17 Pro leaks highlight major new design change
Best soundbar deal: The Sonos Arc is down to $599 at AmazonSony PULSE Elite PS5 headset openBest soundbar deal: The Sonos Arc is down to $599 at AmazonJBL Deals: Save up to 33% on JBL headphones, speakers, and sound barsBest air purifier deal: Get the Levoit Air Purifier for 15% off at AmazonBest Shark AI Ultra Robot Vacuum deal: Save $299.01 at AmazonNYT Connections hints and answers for April 3: Tips to solve 'Connections' #662.Lego Creator 3Best Shark Matrix Robot Vacuum deal: Save $250 at Best BuyBest Shark AI Ultra Robot Vacuum deal: Save $299.01 at AmazonBest JBL deal: Save $10 on the Go 4 at AmazonTake 10% off Shark and Ninja with this April Fool's Day discount codeNintendo Switch 2 Direct April 2 livestream: See it live9 Trump tariff reactions that sum up this historic momentSony PULSE Elite PS5 headset openApple releases iOS 18.5 beta. What's new and how to download it now.Nintendo is finally putting GameCube games on Nintendo Switch Online for Switch 2Best Apple deal: Save $100 on the Apple Studio DisplayNYT mini crossword answers for April 2, 2025Nintendo is finally putting GameCube games on Nintendo Switch Online for Switch 2 Politics, Nerds, Gunpowder by Sadie Stein What We’re Doing Tonight: TPR at Greenlight Books! by Sadie Stein In Search of Lost Time by Anna Wiener Dead Authors at Fashion Week: Part 4 by Katherine Bernard Marilyn’s Books, Hemingway’s Vacation by Sadie Stein Magic Hour: An Interview with Gregory Crewdson by Elisabeth Donnelly What We’re Loving: Angry Generals, Contemptuous Gumshoes by The Paris Review What We’re Loving: Simultaneity, Latin Lovers by The Paris Review Shades of Red: On Indian Summer by Maria Konnikova Of Bloggers and Book Clubs by Sadie Stein Is Nothing Sacred? The Brontë Chapel Is Sacked by Sadie Stein Never Fear! Your Mugs are Coming! by The Paris Review Dreaming in Welsh by Pamela Petro Circus and the City: New York, 1793–2010 by John Reed Etgar Keret, Tel Aviv, Israel by Matteo Pericoli Object Lesson: Classics by The Paris Review Wild Cats and Meadowlarks: Creating in L.A. by Alex Moore Zagat, Library Science, Cheap Thrills by Sadie Stein Song of Roland: An Illustrated Panorama by Jason Novak Happy Birthday, Ballpoint! by Sadie Stein
1.0541s , 10137.1328125 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【21+ Archives】,Wisdom Convergence Information Network