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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This simple animation shows the trajectory of the ESA/JAXA BepiColombo spacecraft through Mercury’s magnetosphere during the third Mercury flyby on 19 June 2023.
Mercury is shown with magnetic field lines compressed on the sunward side and streaming out into a tail on the nightside. The spacecraft trajectory is marked in orange; it approached from the dusk side of the planet and moved towards the dawn side, passing the planet’s surface as close as 235 km.
It only spent around 30 minutes inside the magnetosphere, but was able to glean a wealth of information about the magnetic, particle and plasma environment along its path during this short period of time.
[Image description: Rotating sphere representing planet Mercury shown with magnetic field lines compressed on the sunward side and streaming out into a tail on the nightside. A line passing through the magnetic field lines from dusk to dawn and close to the planet’s surface shows BepiColombo’s trajectory during its third close flyby of the planet.]