BepiColombo

The future mission BepiColombo will be the first mission of exploration of ESA towards the planet Mercure, carried out jointly with the arranges Japanese aerospace exploration (JAXA). Programmed for August 2013, this mission is made up of a couple of probes in orbit around Mercure:

the Mercury Planet To orbit or MPO , whose control of work is entrusted to ESA, has as a main mission of charting surface mercurienne completely;
the Mercury Magnetospheric To orbit or MO , whose control of work falls on Japanese space agency JAXA, aims to study the magnetosphere mercurienne.

In the beginning an undercarriage was also envisaged, but of the budgetary restrictions led to its abandonment.

Objectives of the mission

To date, only the American probe Mariner -10 reached the Mercury vicinity and, at the time of the three overflights which it carried out in 1974 and 1975, managed to transmit only the Mercury photographs available. The mission BepiColombo aims to put into orbit two probes around Mercure during at least a year in order to carry out analyzes much more thorough. The pursued scientific main objectives can be synthesized in twelve points:

analyzes composition of Mercury in order to collect data on primitive solar nebula having led to the formation of the Solar system;
to explain the abnormally high density of Mercury compared with the other bodies of the solar system;
to determine if the Mercury core is in a solid state or liquid;
research and study of a Tectonic activity possible;
to explain the presence of a strong intrinsic magnetic field around Mercury whereas Venus or Mars is deprived by it;
to explain the absence of iron trace during all the spectroscopic analyzes whereas it is supposed to be constituent principal planet;
to detect the possible presence of sulfide or water ice in the shade of the craters of the polar regions;
to carry out a complete cartography of planet, in particular of the hemisphere not yet explored by Mariner-10;
study of the mechanisms at the origin of the Exosphère;
study of the interaction of the magnetic field with the Solar wind in the absence of Ionosphere;
to describe the structure of the magnetosphere and the associated phenomena (belts of radiations, magnetic storms…) ;
to use the advance of the Perihelion of Mercury, due to the curve of the space time close it Sun, to test the theory of the General relativity.

The voyage towards Mercury

MPO

The MO

Technological challenges

See too

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