BepiColombo fairing release

Artist’s impression of the BepiColombo spacecraft shortly after launch, as the fairing of the Ariane 5 falls away. The spacecraft are in their launch configuration, with the Mercury Transfer Module at the bottom, Mercury Planetary Orbiter in the middle, and Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter inside the sunshield on top. At this stage, the solar wings of the spacecraft remain closed.

BepiColombo is a joint endeavour between ESA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA.