This was the sixth and final flyby of Mercury for the BepiColombo spacecraft since its launch in 2018, a manoeuvre that will assist the spacecraft in entering orbit around Mercury late next year.

Following stage separation, the booster landed on the SpaceX drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean roughly 8 minutes after liftoff.

The space agency's planetary science analysis groups must pause while NASA checks if they comply with Trump's orders.

February brings a rare planetary parade, with five bright planets in clear view and a special alignment of Mercury and Saturn ...

“One needs a lot of fuel with a very big rocket for launch, or one can use ... and six at Mercury) to slow down our spacecraft and bring it into a good position to enter the orbit of Mercury.” ...

This was the sixth and final flyby of Mercury for the BepiColombo spacecraft since its launch in 2018. The maneuver put the spacecraft on course to enter orbit around Mercury late next year.

Flawed rocket launches by SpaceX and Blue Origin still leave both companies in position to dominate the space sector.

Advertisement Article continues below this ad This was the sixth and final flyby of Mercury for the BepiColombo spacecraft since its launch in 2018. The maneuver put the spacecraft on course to ...