This was the sixth and final flyby of Mercury for the BepiColombo spacecraft since its launch in 2018, a manoeuvre that will assist the spacecraft in entering orbit around Mercury late next year.

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“One needs a lot of fuel with a very big rocket for launch, or one can use ... and six at Mercury) to slow down our spacecraft and bring it into a good position to enter the orbit of Mercury.” ...

This was the sixth and final flyby of Mercury for the BepiColombo spacecraft since its launch in 2018. The maneuver put the spacecraft on course to enter orbit around Mercury late next year.

Flawed rocket launches by SpaceX and Blue Origin still leave both companies in position to dominate the space sector.

The Space Coast set a new record in 2024 with 93 launches from all providers, building off the 72 orbital missions flown in 2023. With SpaceX’s continued pace, more launches from United Launch ...

Advertisement Article continues below this ad This was the sixth and final flyby of Mercury for the BepiColombo spacecraft since its launch in 2018. The maneuver put the spacecraft on course to ...