First images of Mercury captured by joint Euro-Japanese spacecraft

A JOINT Euro-Japanese spacecraft got its first glimpse of Mercury as it swung by our solar system’s innermost planet. The BepiColombo ­mission made the first of six fly-bys using the planet’s gravity to slow down the craft. AFPA joint Euro-Japanese spacecraft snapped a glimpse of Mercury as it swung by our solar system’s innermost planet[/caption] EPAA picture made available by the European Space Agency shows an artist impression of the BepiColombo mission flying by Mercury[/caption] After swooping past Mercury at altitudes of under 125 miles, the spaceship took a low resolution pic with one of its monitoring cameras. The European Space Agency said the image shows the northern hemisphere and the planet’s pock-marked features, including the 103 mile-wide Lermontov crater. The mission launched in 2018, flying past Earth and twice past Venus on its journey to the solar system’s smallest planet, 63 million miles away. It will send two probes to the surface in 2025. The mission is named after Italian scientist Giuseppe Bepi Colombo. Most read in The Sun SARAH FIEND SHOCK Killer cop Wayne Couzens showed off a prostitute at Met hotel party FOR PEATY'S SAKE! Strictly fans open-mouthed at Adam Peaty's very obvious trouser problem 'WORST MISTAKE' Mum-of-3 'hooked on conspiracy theories' dies of Covid after refusing jab RON STROP Watch Cristiano Ronaldo storm down Man Utd tunnel and refuse to look at Townsend 'PRISON WITHIN A PRISON' Inside max-security jail where Sarah's killer is on suicide watch 'FRESHEN IT UP' Solskjaer explains shock decision to drop Ronaldo for Everton clash