Mercury-bound Spacecraft
BepiColombo
BepiColombo is currently about 205,883,414 kilometres from Earth, or 1.376 astronomical units, which puts a one-way radio signal 11.4 minutes out. It is 0.368 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
- 205,883,414 km (1.376 AU)
- Distance from the Sun
- 55,065,966 km (0.368 AU)
- One-way signal time
- 11.4 minutes
The mission
- Status
- En Route
- Operator
- ESA / JAXA
- Launched
- 2018
- Operating
- Cruising