BepiColombo is Europe's first mission to Mercury.
It will set off in 2015 on a journey to the smallest and least explored terrestrial planet in our Solar System. When it arrives at Mercury in January 2022, it will endure temperatures in excess of 350 °C and gather data during its 1 year nominal mission, with a possible 1-year extension. The mission comprises two spacecraft: the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO). BepiColombo is a joint mission between ESA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), executed under ESA leadership.
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