"BepiColombo" is a joint mission of the European Space Agency and JAXA to the planet Mercury. The mission comprises two satellites to be launched together: the "Mercury Planetary Orbiter" and the "Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter" . The mission will perform a comprehensive study on Mercury, including its magnetic field, magnetosphere, interior structure and surface. It is scheduled to launch in January 2017. The mission was approved in February 2007 as part of the Cosmic Vision programme. BepiColombo is named after Giuseppe Colombo , scientist, mathematician and engineer at the University of Padua, Italy, who first implemented the interplanetary gravity-assist maneuver during the 1974 "Mariner 10" mission, a technique now commonly used by planetary probes. The mission involves three components: The prime contractor for ESA is EADS Astrium. ESA is responsible for the overall mission, the design, development assembly and test of the propulsion and MPO modules, and the launch. The two orbiters are planned to be launched together on an Ariane 5 launch vehicle in January 2017. The spacecraft will have a six-year interplanetary cruise to Mercury using solar-electric propulsion and gravity assists from Earth, Venus and eventual gravity capture at Mercury. ESA's Cebreros 35-metre ground station is planned to be the primary ground facility for communications during all mission phases. Arriving in Mercury orbit in 1 January 2024, MMO and MPO satellites will then separate and observe Mercury in collaboration for 1 year, with a possible 1-year extension. The orbiters will be equipped with scientific instruments provided by various European countries and Japan. It will characterise the huge liquid iron core and will complete gravity and magnetic field mappings. Russia will provide a gamma ray and neutron spectrometers to verify the existence of water ice in polar craters that are permanently in shadow from the Sun's rays. Wiz Science™ is "the" learning channel for children and all ages. SUBSCRIBE TODAY Disclaimer: This video is for your information only. The author or publisher does not guarantee the accuracy of the content presented in this video. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. Background Music: "The Place Inside" by Silent Partner (royalty-free) from YouTube Audio Library. This video uses material/images from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BepiColombo, which is released under Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ . This video is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ . To reuse/adapt the content in your own work, you must comply with the license terms.

• published: 02 Sep 2015
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