Published 22:50 IST, June 23rd 2022

BepiColombo makes second closest approach to Mercury; ESA shares fascinating picture

BepiColombo, launched in October 2018, made its second closest approach to Mercury on June 23 from an altitude of just 200 kilometres.

Reported by: Harsh Vardhan
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Image: Twitter/@ESA_Bepi | Image: self
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BepiColombo craft me its second closest approach to Mercury on June 23. Launched on October 20, 2018, craft skimmed over Mercury's surface at 3:14 p.m. (IST) and was just 200 kilometres above planet's surface. Earlier today, European ncy (ESA) shared a picture captured by  Mercury Transfer Module’s Monitoring Camera 2 from a distance of 920 kilometres, five minutes after closest approach.  

What did BepiColombo see?

In im captured by craft, ESA marked out Mercury's landscape and impact craters. One important feature visible in this picture is  straight sunlit scarp named 'Challenger Rupes' at bottom of im. Measuring 200 kilometres long, about 170 kilometres of two-kilometres tall feature has been photographed. Interestingly, it got its name as early as earlier this month from  International Astromical Union Working Group for Planetary System menclature. 

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Moreover, crater such as Izquierdo and smooth plains named Catuilla Planum and Kunisa are also some of Mercury's prominent features which are highlighted in unique lighting. ESA says that lighting conditions in this im are different from any recorded instance. According to ncy,  130 km-wide Eminescu crater, towards top right of im, will be an interesting subject of study for BepiColombo as it contains ‘hollows’, geological features unique to Mercury.

Besides, 24 km-wide Xiao Zhao has also caught eye of scientists owing to  bright streaks riating from it. "se ‘rays’ are formed from material ejected during impact event that carved out crater, and fe away within a few hundreds of millions of years", ESA said in a statement. "This tells us that Xiao Zhao is one of more recent impact craters on Mercury". tably, BepiColombo will perform a total of six flybys before it enters Mercury's orbit in December 2025.

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More about BepiColombo 

Jointly developed by ESA and Japan Aero Exploration ncy (JAXA), BepiColombo mission includes two craft - ESA's Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and Japan's Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MIO), both of which are fitted onto Mercury Transfer Module (MTM). Through this mission, scientists of ESA and Japan Aero Exploration ncy (JAXA) aim to conduct comprehensive observations of Mercury’s magnetic field, magnetosphere, and both its surface and interior. 

Once probes reach Mercury, y will separate from MTM and will be inserted into different orbits. MPO will observe Mercury's surface and interior in a 2.3-hour orbit whereas MIO will study magnetic fields in a 9.3-hour orbit.

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22:50 IST, June 23rd 2022