Yesterday was not an gentle twenty-four hour period for the flight of steps team of BepiColombo . The missionary station is a collaborationism between the European and the Japanese space means and it will put two satellite around Mercury in a few years . Unfortunately , back in April , the charge get thruster problem so for its fourth flyby , the team decided to ship the probe much closer to Mercury for its sombreness assist – adaring maneuverthat give off .

The decision was described as “ quite bad ” by Frank Budnik , who lead the flight dynamics squad for BepiColombo whenwe spoke to him . But the flyby was a achiever so clearly , the squad has been vindicate . The ballistic capsule is healthy , on the right flight , and was able-bodied to rupture some beautiful photos of the inmost planet as it go by .

“ earlier , all flybys at Mercury [ are ] at 200 - kilometer altitude . There are many intellect you have to navigate at this EL and this is already quite demanding . One of them is the thermic issues , so it was always set as a limit,”Frank Budnik , who leads the flight dynamics squad for BepiColombo , told IFLScience .

Planet Mercury in the background with its grey, cratered, pock-marked surface. In the foreground are some spacecraft parts. The main focus is a crater with a double rim looking like a flat donut.

Vivaldi crater stunningly seen by BepiColombo.Image Credit: ESA/BepiColombo/MTM

The view from near the terminator shows the Crater and ridge beautifully . And that includes a fresh crater named after New Zealand artist Margaret Olrog Stoddart ( 1865–1934 ) . crater and feature film on Mercury are call after famous asleep creative person , musicians , or authors . Not too far from Stoddart , there is one consecrate to French artist Henri Matisse . Another photo shows the stunning Vivaldi crater , identify after the Italian composer ofThe Four Seasons .

However , the team stresses this is just a vexer of what ’s to come . The good cameras will be deployed when the science commission begin in 2027 but these airless musical passage to the satellite ( and the next two in December and January ) are a path to test the whole suite of instrument that are useable at this clip .

" BepiColombo is only the third space mission to impose Mercury , making it the least - explore major planet in the inside Solar System , partly because it is so difficult to get to , " Jack Wright , ESA Research Fellow , Planetary Scientist , and M - CAM mental imagery squad coordinator , said in astatement .

Planet Mercury in the background with its grey, cratered, pock-marked surface. In the foreground are some spacecraft parts. Stoddart crater is also donut shaped like a ring inside a ring, but smaller than vivaldi. next to it a similar size Sullivan and slight further north in the shae the Matisse crater

Stoddart crater is of great interest for future studies of the planet.Image Credit: ESA/BepiColombo/MTM

" It is a world of extremes and contradiction in terms , so I knight it the ‘ Problem Child of the Solar System ’ in the past . The images and science data collected during the flybys offer a tantalising prelude to BepiColombo ’s orbital phase , where it will help to work Mercury ’s outstanding mystery . "

The mission will continue its dull change of orbit to match the inmost satellite . If all goes to plan , it will enter area around Mercury in November 2026 .