Belgian scientists are contributing to the success of the European BepiColombo mission, which is now approaching Mercury.
After eight years travelling through space, the European BepiColombo mission has just reached a crucial milestone on its long journey to Mercury. Two scientific probes were released from their transfer module, finally paving the way for a detailed study of the most mysterious planet in the inner Solar System.
The result of European-Japanese cooperation, the mission also features significant Belgian scientific and technological contributions.
Researchers from the Royal Observatory of Belgium were involved in designing several of the instruments on board the MPO and Mio orbiters. These instruments will be used to probe the interior of Mercury to determine the size and structure of its core, as well as the thickness of its mantle and its internal composition. All of this information is essential to understanding how rocky planets form and, by comparison, how Earth formed.
Bernard Charlier, a planetary scientist at the University of Liège, also has a key role in developing our understanding of Mercury. In his laboratory, he is recreating the extreme conditions of Mercury's magmas (scorching temperatures, colossal pressures) to determine how these rocks melt, crystallise and evolve.
Such experiments will help to interpret the data collected by the BepiColombo mission over the coming months. Researchers hope this work will finally explain why Mercury is so dense, why its surface is so ancient, and how its gigantic core generates a unique magnetic field.
An exciting scientific endeavour in which Belgian researchers are playing a leading role!
