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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Two elements of the BepiColombo mission during launch preparations at Europe’s Spaceport: the Magnetospheric Orbiter Sunshield and Interface Structure (MOSIF) that will protect the JAXA Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter en route to Mercury is seen here in the foreground, while the ESA Mercury Transfer Module (MTM) that will carry the two orbiters to Mercury is in the background.
The ESA-JAXA BepiColombo mission consists of two science orbiters – the Japanese Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO) and ESA’s Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) – and the Mercury Transfer Module (MTM), which will use solar electric propulsion to take the two orbiters to the Mercury, along with gravity assist flybys at Earth, Venus and Mercury itself.