OPENSPACE 24: The Future of Space Exploration | Page 41

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Fourth
Mercury
Flyby
Fifth
Mercury
Flyby
Sixth
Mercury
Flyby
Arrival at
Mercury
the solar system 18.5 times, and we’ll just bleed off the last
03
bit of energy,” said Mark McCaughrean, senior advisor to
ESA.
The initial mission at Mercury is planned for 1 year, with the
possibility of extending it for another one. However, mission
scientists don’t discard the possibility of extending the life of
the mission even longer, although the harsh environmental
conditions would have to determine if this is feasible.
Inside BepiColombo
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01. Mercury Transfer Module Solar Wing Deployment
02. Unboxing Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter Flight
Model
03. BepiColombo at ESA’s test center in Noordwijk,
Netherlands
04. Radio testing of BepiColombo orbiter
Credit: ESA.
October - December 2016 09