View stunning flyby views of Venus’s Bepi Colombo Mercury probe (photos)


A European-Japanese spacecraft just flew from Venus to Mercury on its long, windward path, breaking some stellar views along the way.

Bapi Colombo was launched in October 2018 and is scheduled to arrive on Mercury in 2025. But to get there, he must complete the Earth’s nine gravitational aid flyby-series, two of the full Venus and six of Mercury’s six – the innermost planet in the Solar System before finally entering its orbit. These carefully planned loops guide the route and ensure that it proceeds to its desired destination.