AI Summary

BepiColombo, a joint ESA–JAXA mission, is preparing to enter orbit around Mercury after an eight‑year journey. In early September the Mercury Planetary Orbiter and Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter separated from the transfer module; they will reach Mercury’s orbit in November and split apart in December. During its fourth close flyby in September 2024, the spacecraft passed within 165 km of Mercury’s surface, where electrons and protons from a solar eruption struck the planet. The Finnish‑built SIXS particle and X‑ray detector recorded how these particles penetrated Mercury’s magnetic field and impacted the surface.

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