ArianespaceAriane 5 ECAAriane Launch Area 3, Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana
Ariane 5 ECA | BepiColombo
Launch window
No countdown — this launch time is not yet known to the minute.October 20, 2018Add to calendar
Image: ESA/CNES/Arianespace/Optique vidéo du CSG
Arianespace's 269th launch · 7th this year · humanity's 5,787th orbital launch attempt
The launch vehicle successfully inserted its payload(s) into the target orbit(s).
Window: Oct 20, 01:45 – Oct 20, 01:45 UTC
Flight preview
BepiColombo
BepiColombo is a joint mission of the ESA and the JAXA to the planet Mercury. The mission comprises two satellites to be launched together: the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO). The mission will perform a comprehensive study of Mercury, including its magnetic field, magnetosphere, interior structure and surface.
Planetary Science · Heliocentric N/A (Helio-N/A)
Booster
No booster details available.
Watch
- Flight VA245 – BepiColombo | Ariane 5 Launch | Arianespace — arianespace
- Décollage d'Ariane 5 et BepiColombo — Centre spatial guyanais
- 国際水星探査計画BepiColombo/アリアン５型ロケット打上げライブ中継 — JAXA | 宇宙航空研究開発機構
- BepiColombo liftoff — European Space Agency, ESA
- Flight VA245 | Ariane 5 Best of Liftoff | Arianespace — arianespace
- BepiColombo launch live by European Space Agency — Livestream
News
BepiColombo begins Mercury arrival with MTM separation success
On 3 September 2026 at 15:49 CEST, the European Space Agency's BepiColombo Mission Control Team at the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) received the signal they had been waiting for – BepiColombo’s Mercury Transfer Module (MTM) successfully separated from the spacecraft stack. This landmark achievement for the ESA and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) mission marks the first step of BepiColombo's long-awaited arrival at Mercury.
BepiColombo’s Mercury arrival begins - full replay
Watch the replay of the livestream originally broadcast on 3 September as ESA/JAXA's BepiColombo mission took the first critical step towards arriving at Mercury.
Latest updates: BepiColombo's arrival at Mercury
After eight years of travelling through the inner Solar System, BepiColombo is arriving at Mercury. This page will show the latest updates throughout the mission's arrival.
Media briefing: BepiColombo's next milestone towards Mercury
Rewatch the European Space Agency's 31 August 2026 online press briefing on the latest developments of the ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission, Europe's and Japan's first mission to Mercury.
Watch live: BepiColombo begins its arrival at Mercury
After eight years, the ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission is about to enter its Mercury Arrival Phase. On 3 September 2026, ESA’s Mercury Transfer Module (MTM) will separate from BepiColombo’s two science orbiters – the first major step in one of the most operationally challenging planetary arrival sequences ever attempted by ESA.
Training while flying: Inside BepiColombo's arrival simulations
From the ESA Blogs.
