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A Pair of Spacecraft Draw Closer to Mercury After Nearly Decade-Long Voyage
ESA and Japan’s space agency will split the spacecraft into two orbiters for the first time around another planet, beginning months of science operations.
- The Mercury Transfer Module will separate from the BepiColombo spacecraft stack today, Thursday, at 8 a.m. ET, marking a critical milestone for the European Space Agency's mission to Mercury.
- Jointly operated by the ESA and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency , the mission deploys two independent spacecraft: the Mercury Planetary Orbiter to observe the planet's surface, and the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter to study the space environment.
- The spacecraft faces extreme conditions, with surface temperatures reaching 800 degrees Fahrenheit. Ignacio Tanco, head of Inner Solar System Mission Operations at the ESA, said the environment is "essentially equivalent to operating with a very hot pizza oven running right on your back."
- Scientists hope to probe mysteries including surface depressions called hollows and investigate why Mercury is so dense for its size, according to Geraint Jones, lead project scientist for BepiColombo at the ESA.
- The orbiters will be captured by Mercury's gravity on November 21, then separate and enter their final orbital positions by March before science operations officially begin in April.
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141 Articles
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The space probe "Bepicolombo" began its approach to the planet Mercury after an eight-year journey through space.
·Germany
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The Straits TimesReposted by 
Free Malaysia Today News
Free Malaysia Today NewsSpacecraft bound for Mercury faces ‘tricky’ arrival
The BepiColombo mission set off from Earth in 2018 to study the smallest planet in our solar system. Read more at straitstimes.com.
·Singapore, Singapore
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BepiColombo, after almost eight years of flight, began the final stage of its arrival at Mercury. Both ESA and JAXA are scheduled to begin scientific observations in April.
·Kyiv, Ukraine
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The Mercury probe has begun the perilous process of entering orbit after a journey of over eight years and more than 10 billion kilometers to reach its target.
Coverage Details
Total News Sources141
Leaning Left31Leaning Right10Center68Last UpdatedBias Distribution62% Center
Bias Distribution
- 62% of the sources are Center
62% Center
L 29%
C 62%
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