BepiColombo is a groundbreaking collaborative mission between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), aimed at becoming the second and most complex mission to orbit Mercury.

On December 1, 2024, BepiColombo will conduct its fifth flyby of Mercury, a crucial step in its journey to orbit the planet in 2026.

During this flyby, the spacecraft will approach within 37,630 kilometers of Mercury's surface, which is significantly farther than its previous flybys that reached as close as 165 to 240 kilometers.

This flyby is particularly notable as it will mark the first operation of BepiColombo's MERTIS instrument, which is designed to measure Mercury's appearance in mid-infrared wavelengths between 7 and 14 micrometers.

MERTIS will gather vital data on the minerals present on Mercury's surface, analyzing its mid-infrared radiation to assess surface temperature and composition.

In addition to MERTIS, several other instruments will be activated during the flyby, including magnetometers, gamma-ray and neutron spectrometers, X-ray and particle spectrometers, a dust monitor, and an instrument for detecting electric fields and plasma waves.

These instruments will not only study Mercury's surface but also investigate the environment beyond its magnetic field and monitor solar wind particles emanating from the Sun.

The BepiColombo mission consists of two orbiters: ESA's Mercury Planetary Orbiter and JAXA's Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter, both of which are connected to the Mercury Transfer Module during their transit.