Reaching Mercury is such a challenge because “the gravitational pull of the Sun is very strong near Mercury, which makes it difficult for spacecraft to slow down enough to enter orbit around the planet,” explains Lina Hadid, staff scientist at CNRS in France and principal investigator of one of BepiColombo’s instruments.

The BepiColombo mission recently made its sixth flyby of Mercury, snapping some images along the way.The Latest Tech News, Delivered to Your Inbox

Enigmatic planet Mercury posed for some closeups when the BepiColombo mission flew by. Craters, bright regions and volcanic plains star in the best views from the flyby.

A spacecraft named BepiColombo is currently zipping by planet Mercury, making a very close flyby and snapping incredible high-def photos.

BepiColombo made its sixth and final flyby of Mercury on Wed (Jan. 8) capturing images of the tiny planet hinting at the mysteries it will soon investigate.

This marks the sixth mission of the BepiColombo probe in Mercury's orbit, bringing it to within just 183 miles of the most minor planet in the Solar System. The close views of the icy craters are truly impressive.

ESA's BepiColombo spacecraft is currently undertaking a series of gravity-assisted maneuvers around Mercury, capturing increasingly close-up images of this enigmatic planet. With each flyby, the probe edges closer to its final orbit in 2026,