It has taken eight years of gravity assisted, but decreasingly-eliptical fly-bys… to trim the craft’s speed and trajectory — so that it might enter Mercury orbit with a minimum of extra / expended fuel burns.

But we are now at that moment — and the stacked craft is about to separate — to begin the transition into a multi-craft observatory — preparing for “Mercurial” science in Spring 2027. Here’s all that, from ESA:

…After eight years, the ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission is about to enter its Mercury Arrival Phase. On 3 September 2026, ESA’s Mercury Transfer Module (MTM) will separate from BepiColombo’s two science orbiters – the first major step in one of the most operationally challenging planetary arrival sequences ever attempted by ESA.

The European Space Agency (ESA) will livestream the critical milestone from 13:45 CEST. Tune in and witness the first step of one of the most complex phases of the mission, live from ESA mission control….

BepiColombo’s arrival is one of the most demanding operational sequences ever carried out by ESA. MTM’s separation on 3 September is just the first step. After MTM has separated, in November ESA’s Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and JAXA’s Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (Mio) will enter orbit around Mercury together, before separating from each other in December 2026. Science operations will begin in April 2027….

Starting this weekend, blogging / updates will be scarce for a month. You will need to wear your bear ballet shoes… solo. Smile.

नमस्ते