Why reaching our closest planet takes longer than visiting Jupiter
In short: Mercury is practically in our backyard, yet it took the BepiColombo mission eight years to reach it. This video explains the complex orbital mechanics required to navigate our solar system's inner reaches.
While the Juno mission reached Jupiter in five years, BepiColombo has spent nearly a decade in transit to Mercury. The journey is defined by a series of precise maneuvers: one fly-by of Earth, two of Venus, and six distinct fly-bys of Mercury itself.
These repeated fly-bys are necessary to gradually shape the spacecraft's trajectory into a stable orbit, which it is scheduled to achieve in late 2026. The video features rocket scientist Scott Manley breaking down these orbital mechanics with Dr. Becky Smethurst.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Why it’s so hard to get to Mercury (ft. Scott Manley!)
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