Bepicolombo

Facts for Prelims

Bepicolombo

News: During a close Mercury flyby, the BepiColombo spacecraft collected data that showed how electrons raining down on the planet's surface are triggering X-ray auroras.

About:
• BepiColombo is a joint European Space Agency (ESA) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) mission to Mercury.
• The mission was named after Giuseppe 'Bepi' Colombo, an Italian mathematician and engineer who made significant contributions to the understanding of Mercury's orbit.

Key objectives:
• Investigating Mercury's surface and composition to better understand its geological history and formation processes.
• Studying Mercury's magnetic field and magnetosphere to gain insights into its internal structure and how it interacts with the solar wind.
• Measuring Mercury's exosphere (a thin atmosphere) and understanding its composition and dynamics.
• Conducting experiments to test certain principles of general relativity and improve our understanding of gravity.