BepiColombo snaps a close-up of Mercury

This image of a rugged part of Mercury’s surface was captured by the ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission on 4 September 2024 as the spacecraft sped by for its fourth of six gravity assist manoeuvres at the planet. 

It was taken at 23:51 CEST by the Mercury Transfer Module’s monitoring camera 3 (M-CAM 3), just three minutes after closest approach, when the spacecraft was only about 221 km from the planet’s surface. The spacecraft’s closest approach of 165 km took place at 23:48 CEST. 

M-CAM 3 was looking straight down towards the surface of Mercury when taking the image. This factor, combined with the very close distance to Mercury, makes this the highest resolution image we’ll ever get from this camera. 

The back of the Mercury Planetary Orbiter’s high-gain antenna and part of the spacecraft’s body are also visible in front of Mercury in this image. Mercury Planetary Orbiter is one of two orbiters that will separate from the carrier spacecraft following arrival in orbit around Mercury. 

North is to the upper left 

Read more about BepiColombo's fourth Mercury flyby

[Image description: Planet Mercury in the background with its grey, cratered, pock-marked surface. In the foreground are some spacecraft parts.]