Mercury-bound Spacecraft
BepiColombo
BepiColombo is currently about 152,164,484 kilometres from Earth, or 1.017 astronomical units, which puts a one-way radio signal 8.5 minutes out. It is 0.441 astronomical units from the Sun.
A twin-orbiter mission to Mercury, flying the long way in with nine planetary flybys. Thruster issues delayed its arrival, now set for late 2026.
In the final phase of matching Mercury’s orbit before insertion.
Right now
- Distance from Earth
- 152,164,484 km (1.017 AU)
- Distance from the Sun
- 65,947,731 km (0.441 AU)
- One-way signal time
- 8.5 minutes
The mission
- Status
- En Route
- Operator
- ESA / JAXA
- Launched
- 2018
- Operating
- Cruising