BepiColombo Completes Third Gravity-Assist Flyby of Mercury
Summary: The ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission completed its third of six gravity-assist flybys of Mercury on June 19, 2026, passing the planets surface at an altitude of about 236 km.
On June 19, 2026, the joint ESA/JAXA BepiColombo spacecraft successfully completed the third of its six planned gravity-assist flybys of Mercury. The probe passed the planet's surface at a closest approach of approximately 236 kilometers, using Mercury's gravity to further adjust its trajectory.
BepiColombo was launched in October 2018 with the mission to conduct a comprehensive study of Mercury's surface, internal structure, magnetic field, and magnetosphere. Because Mercury orbits so close to the Sun, entering its orbit through direct braking would require enormous amounts of propellant. Instead, the spacecraft follows a series of gravity-assist maneuvers — first with Earth and Venus, then repeatedly with Mercury itself — to gradually reduce its orbital energy.
The mission plan calls for a total of six Mercury flybys before the spacecraft can be captured into orbit around the innermost planet, expected in the late 2020s. Once in orbit, BepiColombo will deploy two separate orbiters to carry out detailed scientific observations.