Planetary Society logo
  • “Exploration is in our nature.” - Carl Sagan

Bruce Murray Space Image Library

BepiColombo's First Mercury Flyby

BepiColombo's First Mercury Flyby
BepiColombo's First Mercury Flyby The BepiColombo mission captured this black-and-white image of Mercury during the spacecraft's first flyby of the planet on October 1, 2021. BepiColombo was 2,418 km (1,502 mi) from Mercury at the time. This region of Mercury's northern hemisphere includes Sihtu Planitia, which was once flooded with lava. North is towards the lower left in this image. ESA/BepiColombo/MTM