# After 8 years, Europe’s BepiColombo mission is on final approach to Mercury

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/after-8-years-europes-bepicolombo-mission-is-on-final-approach-to-mercury/
- Published: 2026-09-05T06:42:19+00:00
- Updated: 2026-09-05T13:05:07+00:00
- Original publisher: Ars Technica
- Original article: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/09/after-8-years-europes-bepicolombo-mission-is-on-final-approach-to-mercury/
- Topics: Europe, World

## Key points

- BepiColombo shed its propulsion module in a high-risk manoeuvre near Mercury
- Early signs show the separation succeeded after eight years of travel
- Best cameras will now get first clear views ahead of November orbit entry

## Summary

Europe's BepiColombo spacecraft has completed a major milestone in its eight-year journey to Mercury, successfully jettisoning its Mercury Transfer Module in a manoeuvre mission officials likened to the risk of launching a new spacecraft. The module, which had powered and propelled the probe via ion thrusters since its 2018 launch, was released on Thursday roughly 39 million miles from the Sun, clearing the way for the remaining orbiters to enter Mercury's orbit in November without the now-redundant hardware aboard.

The nearly $2 billion mission, led by the European Space Agency with Japanese and US involvement, is unusual in comprising three linked spacecraft; with the transfer module gone, the European and Japanese orbiters will travel on together until they separate from each other in December, shortly after reaching Mercury. Discarding the module required the remaining spacecraft to instantly assume all power, propulsion, pointing and thermal-control duties amid the extreme heat and radiation near the Sun, and early indications suggest the separation went to plan. Several onboard instruments and the mission's best cameras, previously obscured by the module during the transit, are now expected to capture their "first light" views as BepiColombo closes in on its final orbital insertion.

## Coverage

- [Ars Technica: After 8 years, Europe’s BepiColombo mission is on final approach to Mercury](https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/09/after-8-years-europes-bepicolombo-mission-is-on-final-approach-to-mercury/)
- [The Register: BepiColombo sheds its ride and starts the final glide to Mercury](https://www.theregister.com/science/2026/09/05/bepicolombo-sheds-its-ride-and-starts-the-final-glide-to-mercury/5294601)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.