BepiColombo sheds propulsion module and enters Mercury orbit after 8 years

On 3 September, the joint ESA–JAXA BepiColombo mission reached its most critical milestone since launch: separation of the Mercury Transfer Module (MTM), which provided propulsion and power during the eight-year journey. The manoeuvre marks the beginning of BepiColombo's operational phase around Mercury. The mission aims to study the planet's composition, magnetic field and geological history.