Milestone · December 9, 2026
BepiColombo: MPO and Mio separate
Two orbiters, two orbits
The stack in Mercury orbit comes apart: ESA's MPO and JAXA's Mio settle into their own science orbits.
| Type | Milestone |
|---|---|
| Date | December 9, 2026, 12:00 PM UTC |
| Visibility window | December 9, 2026 – December 11, 2026 |
| Status | scheduled |
| MPO | ESA · 480 × 1,500 km |
| Mio | JAXA · 590 × 11,640 km |
| Separation | 9 Dec 2026 |
| Science mission | 1 year + extension |
| Surface mapping | MPO |
| Bodies involved | BepiColombo, Mercury |
| Source | ESA |