Past Earth and on its way to Venus
Past Earth and on its way to Venus
On 10 April 2020, the ESA BepiColombo spacecraft will pass Earth at a distance of 12,677 kilometres and embark on its journey towards the inner Solar System and its final destination, Mercury. This flyby, or gravity assist manoeuvre, will be used to slow down the spacecraft without the need to expend propellant and also to change the plane of its trajectory to bring it closer to the orbit of Venus. BepiColombo will conduct two Venus flybys before approaching Mercury. The Venus flybys will take place on 16 October 2020 and 11 August 2021.
