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Science & Technology |
Spacecraft unveiled for first Europe mission to Mercury |
2017-07-07 |
[DAWN] European and Japanese scientists Thursday unveiled the BepiColombo spacecraft ahead of its seven-year journey to Mercury, to explore one of the Solar System's most enigmatic planets. Set for launch in 2018, BepiColombo will be the European Space Agency's (ESA) first mission to the closest rock to the Sun. The craft has an unusual design, comprising a “stacked aircraft” carrying two orbiters — one European, the other Japanese — which will separate on arrival to go into different, but complementary orbits around Mercury. BepiColombo aims to “follow up on many of the intriguing results of NASA's Messenger mission, probing deeper into Mercury's mysteries than ever before,” the ESA said. The joint project with the Japanese agency JAXA, which has cost more than 1.3 billion euros ($1.48 billion), involves some 33 companies from 12 EU nations, as well as firms from the US and Japan. It has been delayed several times, but the mission chiefs are now confident that it is on track to launch in October next year. |
Posted by:Fred |
#9 The way Europe is headed now, I'd expect a mission to Uranus. |
Posted by: SteveS 2017-07-07 20:15 |
#8 I hear they're planning to go at night to make it easier... |
Posted by: ed in texas 2017-07-07 19:51 |
#7 Set for launch in 2018 (Snicker) The environmental impact statement alone will take forty years. |
Posted by: charger 2017-07-07 12:19 |
#6 Better plan for a winter arrival. |
Posted by: Alaska Paul 2017-07-07 10:10 |
#5 BepiColombo ??? Also, it would be a tragedy not to include Schumer in the crew. |
Posted by: gorb 2017-07-07 08:32 |
#4 U.S. crew members identified. |
Posted by: Besoeker 2017-07-07 04:13 |
#3 I hope it runs better than the comet mission! Philae |
Posted by: Seeking cure for ignorance 2017-07-07 02:16 |
#2 Will they be studying the effects of Global Warming? |
Posted by: Raj 2017-07-07 02:07 |
#1 Hope it runs as well as the comet mission. |
Posted by: Skidmark 2017-07-07 01:43 |