BepiColombo MTM separation

3 September 2026

On 3 September 2026 at 15:49 CEST, the BepiColombo mission reached one of its most critical milestones: the successful detachment of the Mercury Transfer Module (MTM). After travelling 9.9 billion kilometres through the inner Solar System and completing nine planetary flybys over the last eight years, the solar-electric propulsion module completed its crucial task to bring BepiColombo to its final destination, leaving the European Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and the Japanese Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (Mio) ready for the final phase of their journey.

The reception of the separation signal marked a major turning point for the mission, as full trajectory and attitude control were handed over directly to the MPO. This separation sets the final trajectory toward Mercury Orbit Insertion on 21 November 2026, leading up to the official start of science operations in April 2027.

Figure: MTM separation signal confirmation

Shortly before the separation maneuver, the MTM captured its final farewell image of the spacecraft stack before separating, offering a breathtaking last look at the configuration that carried the mission across the Inner Solar System.

Figure: MTM captured its final farewell image of the spacecraft

With the spacecraft almost in its final orbital configuration, the SERENA suite and all its sensors are one step closer to commencing continuous high-resolution observations of Mercury's exosphere and plasma environment.

In fact, while the MIPA and PICAM instruments were already operational during the cruise phase, ELENA and STROFIO finally celebrated their "first light" during this key phase: ELENA successfully transmitted housekeeping telemetry to confirm its operational status in the new spacecraft configuration, while STROFIO carried out its first measurement of the local environment surrounding the spacecraft.

Further information is available on the ESA website:
ESA MTM Separation Success