The BepiColombo mission has begun

Launched on October 20 by Ariane 5 from the Kourou base in French Guiana, the satellite's mission is to collect information on Mercury.

La mission BepiColombo (Source:esa)

A high-tech satellite 

Sending a satellite to Mercury is a first for a mission. For this mission, Airbus was the prime contractor for the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japanese Agency (JAXA).

The 2 agencies have produced a concentrated satellite technology. It is 6.4 meters high and consists of 2 orbiters, a transfer module including electric and chemical thrusters, and a solar shield. Indeed, when the satellite orbits Mercury, it will be subjected to very high temperatures: between 300 and 400 degrees Celsius. To resist this heat, most of the orbiter's external surfaces designed for ESA have been covered with multi-layer ceramic and titanium insulation.

The mission near Mercury 

This satellite will provide a better understanding of the planet's internal structure, the solar wind, its magnetic field and its interaction with the Sun. In particular, it will make it possible to study craters and the composition of Mercury. BepiColombo has set out on a 7-year journey and will cover 8,524,000,000 kilometres.