[Kyodo News, Washington, September 6]The European Space Agency (ESA) released images of Mercury taken by the BepiColombo probe, a joint European-Japanese Mercury exploration project, on September 5. The images were taken using the selfie camera on the inspection body, clearly capturing the numerous craters formed by celestial body collisions and basins formed by magma eruptions.

The images were taken on the morning of the 5th, Japan time. In order to enter Mercury’s orbit in two years, the probe approached the surface of Mercury by using Mercury’s gravity to slow down and approached to about 165 kilometers. The images released this time include images from a few minutes after the closest approach.

Two more boost flights will be carried out in the future. Due to insufficient engine output, the time to enter Mercury’s orbit has been delayed by nearly a year to November 2026. Official observations are expected to begin in 2027. At that time, cameras and observation equipment with higher resolution than this time will be used to explore the origin and history of Mercury. (End)