BepiColombo first Mercury flyby

Visualisation of BepiColombo flying by Mercury on 1 October 2021. The spacecraft makes nine gravity assist manoeuvres (one of Earth, two of Venus and six of Mercury) before entering orbit around the innermost planet of the Solar System. The closest approach is at 23:34 UTC on 1 October (01:34 CEST 2 October) at a distance of about 200 km. BepiColombo is an international collaboration between #ESA and #JAXA. Credit: ESA/ATG medialab ★ Subscribe: and click twice on the bell button to receive our notifications. Check out our full video catalog: Follow us on Twitter: On Facebook: On Instagram: On Pinterest: On Flickr: We are Europe’s gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment i