The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
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Close-up of a set of thrusters on the BepiColombo Mercury Transfer Module (MTM) that will carry the two science orbiters – the Mercury Planetary Orbiter and the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter – to the innermost planet.
This image focuses on the lower set of 10 N bipropellant thrusters situated on the side of the spacecraft that will usually point away from the Sun. They are part of the chemical propulsion system used for general attitude control.
The silver/white thermal blanket is covered with Nextel, known for its heat-resistive properties, meaning the thrusters can be exposed directly to the Sun. This will occur when the bottom of the craft tilts towards the Sun as a natural consequence of flight dynamics.
The MTM has 24 bipropellant thrusters in total (12 pairs, with one redundant in each set).