Despite temperatures reaching 800 °F during the day, Mercury's shadowy craters may contain ice.
A spacecraft operated by the European Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency has made its final flyby of Mercury, as scientists now work to guide BepiColombo into the planet’s orbit.During the sixth flyby, the ESA expected the spacecraft would fly less than 200 miles above the Swift Planet, while conducting measurements of Mercury’s magnetic field and capturing stunning images.
The spacecraft will continue its journey toward Mercury’s orbit, where it will study the planet's surface and magnetic field in greater detail for at least a year."In 2027, the main science phase of the mission will begin. The spacecraft’s suite of science instruments will reveal the invisible about the solar system’s most mysterious planet, to better understand the origin and evolution of a planet close to its host star," the ESA stated.
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