Spacecraft buzzes Mercury’s north pole and beams back stunning photos

9 January 2025, 19:54

Mercury Flyby
Mercury Flyby. Picture: PA

This was the sixth and final flyby of Mercury for the BepiColombo spacecraft since its launch in 2018.

A spacecraft has beamed back some of the best close-up photos yet of Mercury’s north pole.

The European and Japanese robotic explorer swooped as close as 183 miles above Mercury’s night side before passing directly over the planet’s north pole.

The European Space Agency released the stunning snapshots on Thursday, showing the permanently shadowed craters at the top of our Solar System’s smallest, innermost planet.

Mercury Flyby
Close-up photos of Mercury’s north pole taken by the European-Japanese spacecraft BepiColombo. (European Space Agency via AP)

Cameras also captured views of neighbouring volcanic plains and Mercury’s largest impact crater, which spans more than 930 miles.

This was the sixth and final flyby of Mercury for the BepiColombo spacecraft since its launch in 2018.

The manoeuvre put the spacecraft on course to enter orbit around Mercury late next year.

The spacecraft holds two orbiters, one for Europe and the other for Japan, that will circle the planet’s poles.

The spacecraft is named after the late Giuseppe (Bepi) Colombo, a 20th-century Italian mathematician who contributed to Nasa’s Mariner 10 mission to Mercury in the 1970s and, two decades later, to the Italian Space Agency’s tethered satellite project that flew on the US space shuttles.

By Press Association

Latest World News

See more Latest World News

A British couple was reportedly found dead by a neighbour in Les Pesquiès, south of Villefranche-de-Rouergue.

British couple found dead inside 'isolated' French villa in 'feared burglary gone wrong'

Inga Gehricke, five, went missing following a family barbecue in Germany back in 2015.

Police launch fresh search efforts for missing girl linked to prime Madeleine McCann suspect

A utility firm has admitted its equipment started one of the LA fires last month.

California utility says its equipment likely sparked fire that raged through LA

Salim Iskef, 29, was one of ten people killed by lone gunman Rickard Andersson, 35, at Orebro's Risbergska adult education centre on Tuesday.

Heartbreaking final words of Sweden mass shooting victim shared with mum and fiancé revealed

Donald Trump is reportedly set to unveil his 100-day peace plan for Ukraine next week.

Donald Trump poised to unveil '100-day' peace plan for Ukraine next week

During a visit from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Donald Trump announced plans for US ownership of the Gaza Strip, declaring "the Gaza thing has never worked."

Donald Trump claims no US troops will be needed for his plan to turn Gaza Strip into 'Riviera of the Middle East’

The chilling footage was reportedly taken by a student at the school.

Chilling Sweden mass shooting footage reveals 'gunman's scream' before opening fire and killing 10

Ebony McIntosh passed away aged 24.

Tributes pour in for beloved Brit travel influencer who died suddenly on 'dream' trip to Sri Lanka

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky says any peacekeeping force for Ukraine needs American soldiers.

Zelensky warns any peacekeeping force for Ukraine without US troops would be a 'win for Russia'

Two planes collide at Seattle Airport as Japan Airlines' wing slices through tail of Delta aircraft

Two planes collide at Seattle Airport as Japan Airlines' wing slices through tail of Delta aircraft

Russia's President Vladimir Putin

Ukraine accuses Russian spies of orchestrating bomb attacks on army offices

Nigel Farage has said he finds Donald Trump's plan for the US to own Gaza "very appealing".

Nigel Farage says Donald Trump's plan to 'take over Gaza' sounds 'very appealing'

Andersson, 35, was described as a reclusive loner by relatives.

Pictured: Gunman who killed 11 in Sweden's 'worst mass shooting in history' named

A French gendarme blocks the road leading to the scene where four people died in a shooting at a parking near the Annecy Lake, eastern France

'Major breakthrough' in case of Brits shot dead in Alps as investigators say killer was elite soldier who 'went off the rails'

A Brit, 35, is facing a 10-year prison sentence for hacking a 75-year-old man to death with an axe.

Brit, 35, who hacked 75-year-old to death with an axe after alleged rape faces 10-year prison sentence

During a visit from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Donald Trump announced plans for US ownership of the Gaza Strip, declaring "the Gaza thing has never worked."

'Go to hell': Palestinians' message to Trump over plan to turn Gaza strip into 'Riviera of the Middle East’