SCIENCE · VERIFIED DEVELOPMENT
BepiColombo Mission Takes Key Step Towards Mercury Arrival
WHY IT MATTERS
The successful separation of the MTM is a crucial step towards BepiColombo's arrival at Mercury, which is expected to provide valuable insights into the planet's composition and geology.
What happened
The European Space Agency's BepiColombo spacecraft has successfully separated its Mercury Transfer Module (MTM) from the spacecraft stack. This milestone marks the first step in the mission's long-awaited arrival at Mercury.
The separation occurred on 3 September 2026 at 15:49 CEST, as confirmed by the BepiColombo Mission Control Team at the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC).
The joint mission between the ESA and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is now one step closer to its destination.
PRIMARY SOURCES
BepiColombo begins Mercury arrival with MTM separation success
European Space Agency · ESA website terms; link and attribution only