ESA and JAXA mission captures new Mercury images
On January 8, 2025, the joint ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission completed its sixth flyby of Mercury, capturing detailed images of the planet's surface, Kazinform News Agency correspondent reports, citing the ESA.
The spacecraft approached within 295 kilometers of Mercury's north pole, providing insights into the planet's geology and potential ice deposits.
During the flyby, BepiColombo's monitoring cameras (M-CAMs) photographed forever-shadowed craters near the north pole, including Prokofiev, Kandinsky, Tolkien, and Gordimer. These craters, among the coldest locations in the Solar System despite Mercury's proximity to the Sun, are suspected to harbor frozen water. BepiColombo aims to investigate this hypothesis further upon entering Mercury's orbit in late 2026.
The images also showcase the Borealis Planitia, Mercury's largest expanse of smooth plains, formed by extensive lava flows approximately 3.7 billion years ago. In the lower left corner of the image is the massive Caloris basin, Mercury's largest impact crater, stretching over 1,500 km. The impact that formed this basin left scars on Mercury's surface, with linear troughs radiating thousands of kilometers from the site.
At a first glance the cratered planet may resemble the Moon, but Mercury's dark surface reflects only two-thirds the light of the Moon, with younger features appearing brighter due to volcanic activity or large impacts. Scientists are still uncertain about Mercury's exact composition, but it's evident that material brought up from beneath the surface darkens over time.
BepiColombo's third flyby image, captured by M-CAM 2, highlights how volcanic activity and large impacts bring bright material to Mercury's surface. Notable examples include Nathair Facula, the result of a massive volcanic explosion, and the relatively young Fonteyn crater, whose bright debris reflects its formation just 300 million years ago.
During its mission, BepiColombo will use various instruments to analyze the composition of both older and newer regions of Mercury's surface, providing insights into the planet's makeup and formation history.
After reaching Mercury in late 2026, the spacecraft's two orbiters will enter dedicated polar orbits, beginning a one-year science mission in early 2027, potentially extendable by another year.
Earlier, Kazinform News Agency reported that Japan's Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is set to partner with private firms to enhance emergency response capabilities during natural disasters.
