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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Key moments during BepiColombo’s first Mercury flyby on 1 October 2021, which will see the spacecraft pass within 200 km of the planet at 23:34 UTC.
While many of the in situ instruments will be on and collecting data as usual, two of BepiColombo’s three monitoring cameras will also be activated shortly after close approach. The images will be downlinked later in the morning of 2 October.
Not to scale: the relative sizes of planets and spacecraft, and the attitude of the spacecraft is not representative.