The BepiColombo Mercury probe, a joint mission by ESA and JAXA, made its fourth flyby of Mercury on September 4, 2024, capturing detailed images of the planet’s cratered surface.

Passing just 103 miles above Mercury, the spacecraft provided some of its best images yet, including notable craters Vivaldi and Stoddart.

This gravity assist maneuver, part of BepiColombo’s eight-year journey to Mercury, helps slow the spacecraft and provides key scientific data.

Originally set to enter orbit in December 2025, BepiColombo’s revised trajectory now targets November 2026 due to a propulsion issue, Space.com has reported.

The mission will continue with two more flybys before entering orbit, where it will spend one to two years studying Mercury with a suite of 16 instruments.

Written by B.C. Begley