BepiColombo reaches a key step on its way to Mercury

ESA and JAXA’s BepiColombo mission is set to take a major step toward Mercury on 2026-09-03, when its Mercury Transfer Module is due to separate. The mission is in orbit around Mercury, and the separation is described as the first critical step toward arrival there.

After travelling as part of the stacked spacecraft for 8 years, the transfer module is due to detach from the rest of the spacecraft. A livestream is planned from ESA’s operations centre in Darmstadt, Germany.

BepiColombo is in orbit around Mercury, and the mission is a partnership between ESA and JAXA.

The Mercury Transfer Module, or MTM, is due to separate on 2026-09-03. That event is described as the first critical step toward arriving at Mercury.

The MTM and the rest of the stacked spacecraft have been together for 8 years.

A livestream is planned from the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany, with acquisition of signal and a spacecraft status check at 15:53 CEST.

Mio is scheduled for 2026-12. The two spacecraft are set to begin scientific investigations in 2027-04.

For readers following space industry activity beyond Earth, this is a mission milestone involving ESA and JAXA at Mercury rather than the Moon. The separation of the transfer module marks a concrete operational change after 8 years of cruise as a stacked spacecraft.

The timeline also matters because the next stated phases run from Mio in 2026-12 to the start of scientific investigations in 2027-04, giving a clear sequence of near-term mission events.

ESA and JAXA are the agencies named in the BepiColombo partnership.

On 2026-09-03, the MTM separation is scheduled, with acquisition of signal and a spacecraft status check at 15:53 CEST during a livestream from ESOC in Darmstadt, Germany.

Mio is scheduled for 2026-12, and the two spacecraft are set to begin scientific investigations in 2027-04.