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The Midlands Space Cluster congratulates everyone involved in the ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission following the successful separation of the Mercury Transfer Module on 3rd September. After almost eight years and billions of kilometres travelling through the Solar System, the milestone marks the beginning of BepiColombo’s complex Mercury Arrival Phase. The two science orbiters – ESA’s Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and JAXA’s Mio – will enter orbit around Mercury together in November before separating in December, with full science operations due to begin in April 2027.
It is a particularly proud moment for the Midlands. On board the MPO is MIXS (Mercury Imaging X-ray Spectrometer), the mission’s only UK-led science instrument, developed by a European consortium led by the University of Leicester and supported by the UK Space Agency. MIXS will analyse Mercury’s surface composition and interactions between its surface and space environment, contributing to a much more detailed understanding of the planet. The separation also means MIXS can finally see into deep space, with its first-light observations and calibration due to begin shortly.
BepiColombo also showcases wider UK and European industrial capability: Airbus was prime contractor for the system design and manufacture of the MPO, Mercury Transfer Module and Mio’s protective sunshield. Read more about the Leicester contribution here.
