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BepiColombo to swing by Mercury for the sixth time

European Space Agency
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BepiColombo will fly just 295 km above Mercury 's surface on 8 January 2025 .

It will use this opportunity to photograph Mercury , make unique measurements of the planet’s environment.

The first part of the upcoming flyby will be spent on Mercury 's cold, dark night side.

The spacecraft will not receive any direct sunlight for more than 23 minutes and rely on its batteries.

BepiColombo will fly through regions around Mercury that haven't been sampled before and parts of which won't be visited during the main science phase of its mission.

Two particle analysers will 'taste' the particles in these fascinating regions.

Two magnetometers will sense Mercury 's magnetic field, while a dust monitor will measure larger dust particles.