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
Go to topicThank you for liking
You have already liked this page, you can only like it once!
Artist’s impression of the BepiColombo spacecraft in cruise configuration, flying past Earth and with the Sun in the background. After launch, BepiColombo will return to Earth two years later to make a gravity-assist flyby, before flying by Venus twice and Mercury six times before entering orbit around the innermost planet.
In this view, the Mercury Transfer Module is at the rear, with its solar wings extended, spanning about 30 m from tip-to-tip. Because the arrays are tilted towards the Sun, the underside of the panels can be seen. The 7.5 m-long solar array of the Mercury Planetary Orbiter in the middle is seen extending to the top, with the high-gain antenna dish to the left, and the magnetometer boom and medium gain antenna to the right. The Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter sits inside the sunshield, its antenna folded inside and visible in this view.
BepiColombo is a joint endeavour between ESA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA.