#Mercury

All articles tagged with "Mercury"

BepiColombo, launched in 2018, has completed its eight-year interplanetary cruise and is nearing Mercury.
The spacecraft jettisoned its Mercury Transfer Module on Thursday, shedding the ion propulsion hardware no longer needed for orbit insertion.
BepiColombo used an unprecedented nine planetary gravity assists and the most powerful electric propulsion system ever flown in deep space.
The mission is led by ESA with contributions from Japan and the US and will enter Mercury orbit in November.

DT Editorial Team·Sep 6, 2026·via arstechnica.com

Researchers used MESSENGER data, new analysis methods, and computer models to test whether Mercury can trap charged particles.
The study found Mercury appears to form radiation belts intermittently, especially near aphelion.
These short-lived belts could reshape how scientists think about weak planetary magnetospheres and spacecraft risk near Mercury.

DT Editorial Team·Jul 31, 2026·via universetoday.com

DT Editorial Team·May 23, 2026·via newscientist.com

Rice University researchers used the rare Indarch meteorite as a laboratory analog for Mercury.
Mercury’s crust is sulfur- and magnesium-rich and more chemically reduced than other rocky planets.
The experiments help connect spacecraft observations to models of Mercury’s interior and evolution.
The work suggests Mercury formed under chemical conditions very different from Earth’s.

DT Editorial Team·Apr 30, 2026·via universetoday.com