The European Space Agency scheduled the separation of the Mercury Transfer Module for 3 September 2026, marking the beginning of the arrival phase for the joint ESA and JAXA BepiColombo mission. ESA announced the operational timeline during an online press briefing on 31 August 2026 detailing the upcoming flight events.
Following the module separation, BepiColombo will execute its Mercury orbit insertion in November 2026. The spacecraft will then separate its two dedicated science orbiters in December 2026. Those spacecraft comprise ESA's Mercury Planetary Orbiter and the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter, named Mio, which was provided by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
Agency officials outlined the mission's operational challenges and scientific objectives during the briefing. Presentations were delivered by three ESA representatives: Lead Project Scientist Prof. Geraint Jones, Mission Manager Santa Martinez, and Head of Inner Solar System Mission Operations Ignacio Tanco. The speakers detailed the status of the spacecraft and answered questions regarding the maneuvers required to position both orbiters around the planet.
BepiColombo represents the first mission to Mercury conducted jointly by Europe and Japan. Reaching the small desert world requires navigating close to the Sun, making the planet more difficult for an orbital spacecraft to reach than Pluto. Mercury remains the least explored planet in the inner Solar System, and data gathered by the mission is intended to clarify the history of the entire Solar System.
Once operating in their respective orbits, the ESA and JAXA spacecraft will become only the second and third orbiters to circle Mercury. The dual orbiters will conduct coordinated observations of the planet's surface, interior structure, and surrounding magnetosphere.
