It was stated that the spacecraft took the image shortly after passing over the planet at an altitude of only 200 kilometers.
TAKEN WITH A LOW RESOLUTION MONITORING CAMERA
It is stated that BepiColombo took pictures of Mercury with a low-resolution tracking camera located on its side. After the first black and white photos shared, ESA is expected to release more images in the coming days.
BepiColombo is expected to enter orbit by the end of 2025
The controllers plan to make five more such flights, using Mercury's gravity to help control the spacecraft's speed. The goal of BepiColombo to move slowly enough and eventually settle into a stable orbit around the planet is predicted to be achieved by the end of 2025.
From the University of Leicester in England, Dr. Suzie Imber, The purpose of a total of six flights on Mercury is to help us change our trajectory and slow our pace. A few years from now, in December 2025, our spacecraft and Mercury will move in the same direction in the same place," he said. "At the end of this process, we can separate our spacecraft and enter orbit."
BepiColombo, some of which was developed by ESA and the other part by JAXA, will begin its full scientific operations by ensuring that the vehicle enters orbit regularly in 2026, following other transitions in June 2023, September 2024, December 2024 and January 2025. In this process, ESA and JAXA will separate and take on different roles when they enter orbit on Mercury.
Europe's Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) will work to map Mercury's terrain and collect data on the planet's surface structure and composition. Japan's Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO) will study Mercury's magnetic field, investigating its interaction with the solar wind.
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