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Space mission · ESA

BepiColombo

ExplorationEn routeLaunched 2018-10-20

Mission overview

BepiColombo is a joint ESA–JAXA mission of two orbiters travelling to Mercury, arriving in the mid-2020s.

Mission data

Identity and engineering data from Wikidata (type-verified match · Q113169) · launch date 2018-10-20 confirmed

International designator2018-080AWikidata · catalogued
Full field-level provenance
  • International designator: Wikidata (Wikimedia Foundation) — community-curated structured knowledge base · Wikidata · wdt · P247 · catalogued value · retrieved 2026-07-11

Sourced from Wikidata (community-maintained structured data, whose statements link to their own citations where provided); each value carries its Wikidata QID. A field with conflicting Wikidata values is omitted. Launch date is used only to cross-check the catalogue, never to override it. Fields Wikidata did not provide, or where conflicting values exist, are omitted, never invented.

Derived values

Computed from source-backed inputs via standard formulae — not observations. Every input and constant is traced below.

  • Time since launch7.7 yearscalculated
    Formula & inputs

    Formula: Δt = reference − launch (v1.0.0, impl v1.0.0)

    Inputs:

    • launchDate = 17824 days (JD-like) · ESA

    Limitations: A time-dependent value: it is elapsed time as of the stated reference instant, not a fixed total.; Elapsed time since launch is not the same as time spent operating at the target.

    Uncertainty: not propagated (inputs carry no catalogued uncertainty)

    Computed as of 2026-06-29.

Outcome & discoveries

In transit to Mercury, performing flybys of Earth, Venus, and Mercury en route.

Mission profile

Knowledge connections

MissionAgencyLaunch
Venus ExpressVenusESA2005-11-09
Mars ExpressMarsESA2003-06-02
JUICE (Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer)Jupiter and its icy moonsESA2023-04-14
RosettaComet 67P/Churyumov–GerasimenkoESA2004-03-02
Solar OrbiterThe SunESA2020-02-10
GaiaSun–Earth L2ESA2013-12-19

Sources

The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.

  • ESAEuropean Space Agency

    European missions, observatories, and space science imagery.