BepiColombo is a joint mission of the European Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency to study Mercury, the smallest and least explored of the rocky planets. It is named after the Italian mathematician Giuseppe Colombo, known as Bepi, who worked out how a spacecraft could use gravity assists to reach Mercury. It consists of two orbiters, the European Mercury Planetary Orbiter and the Japanese Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter, which travel together and separate at Mercury. It was launched on an Ariane 5 rocket from Kourou, and used flybys of Earth, Venus and Mercury to slow down. It is due to enter orbit around Mercury at the end of 2026.
Before and after
- 25 August 2018Death of John McCain
- 17 September 2018Syria missile strikes
- from 22 September 2018 to 25 September 2018Pope Francis's visit to the Baltic states
- 1 October 2018Premiere of Bluey
- 20 October 2018Launch of BepiColombo
- 26 October 2018Release of Red Dead Redemption 2
- 27 October 2018Pittsburgh synagogue shooting
- 29 October 2018Construction of Istanbul Airport
- 31 October 2018Statue of Unity
More in Universe & space
- 30 September 1975Discovery of Themisto
- 24 May 1981Discovery of Larissa
- 20 January 1986Discovery of Ophelia
- 19 February 1986Launch of Mir
- 18 September 1989Discovery of Naiad
- 20 November 1998Launch of International Space Station
The era
This moment belongs to the Contemporary world (1945 CE to today), the world since 1945. You can also browse everything in the 21st century.