Two spacecraft near Mercury 

After an eight-year journey, two spacecraft from the European Space Agency and Japan’s JAXA are preparing to enter orbit around Mercury on November 21. The BepiColombo mission launched in October 2018 and traveled hundreds of millions of kilometers to reach the solar system’s smallest planet.

Reaching Mercury is difficult because of the Sun’s strong gravity. The spacecraft used nine flybys of Earth, Venus and Mercury to slow down.

The mission carries two orbiters. The European MPO will study Mercury’s surface, interior and composition. Japan’s Mio will examine the planet’s magnetic field and interaction with solar wind.

Scientists hope to find water ice in Mercury’s permanently shadowed craters and understand how the planet formed so close to the Sun. Regular science operations will begin in April next year.