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BepiColombo

A spacecraft, BepiColombo, is shown in close proximity to the moon against a dark background.

Joint European–Japanese mission to Mercury, launched in October 2018. Reaching Mercury orbit requires shedding so much heliocentric velocity that BepiColombo will spend more than seven years using a single Earth flyby, two Venus flybys, and six flybys of Mercury itself to slow down before final orbital insertion in late 2026. The mission carries two orbiters, one European, one Japanese, that will separate on arrival.

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