Final glimpse of Earth ▷

BEPICOLOMBO, 10 APRIL 2020

A thin crescent receding into the distance is BepiColombo’s last view of Earth as it makes its way to the smallest and innermost planet of the Solar System, Mercury. Having already travelled almost 1.4 billion kilometres since its launch in October 2018, the flyby was one of several gravity- assisted manoeuvres the ESA/JAXA spacecraft must make in order to hit Mercury’s orbit in December 2025.