Sánchez-Cano Beatriz, Hadid Lina Z, Aizawa Sae, Murakami Go, Bamba Yumi, Chiba Shota, Hara Takuya, Heyner Daniel, Ho George, Iwai Kazumasa, Kilpua Emilia, Kinoshita Gaku, Lavraud Benoit, Miyoshi Yoshizumi, Pinto Marco, Schmid Daniel, Shiota Daikou, Vainio Rami, Andre Nicolas, Aronica Alessandro, Asmar Sami, Auster Hans-Ulrich, Barabash Stas, Barthe Alain, Baumjohann Wolfgang, Benkhoff Johannes, Bentley Mark, Bunce Emma, Cappuccio Paolo, Delcourt Dominique, di Stefano Ivan, Doria Irene, Dresing Nina, Fedorov Andrei, Fischer David, Fiethe Bjorn, Fränz Markus, Gieseler Jan, Giner Franz, Giono Gabriel, Harada Yuki, Hussmann Hauke, Iess Luciano, Imamura Takeshi, Jeszenszky Harald, Jones Geraint, Katra Bruno, Kazakov Adrian, Kozyrev Alexander, Laky Gunter, Lefevre Carlo, Lichtenegger Herbert, Lindsay Simon, Lucente Marco, Magnafico Carmelo, Magnes Werner, Martindale Adrian, Matsuoka Ayako, Milillo Anna, Mitrofanov Igor, Nishiyama Gaku, Oleynik Philipp, Orsini Stefano, Paik Meegyeong, Palmroos Christian, Plainaki Christina, Penou Emanuel, Persson Moa, Quarati Francesco, Quémerais Eric, Richter Ingo, Robidel Rozenn, Rojo Mathias, Saito Yoshifumi, Santoli Francesco, Stark Alexander, Stumpo Mirko, Tian Rong, Varsani Ali, Verdeil Christopher, Williamson Hayley, Witasse Olivier, Yokota Shoichiro
School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
Laboratoire de Physique des Plasmas (LPP), CNRS, École Polytechnique, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, Observatoire de Paris, Sorbonne Université, Université Paris Saclay, Palaiseau, France.
Earth Planets Space. 2025;77(1):114. doi: 10.1186/s40623-025-02256-z. Epub 2025 Jul 17.
BepiColombo, the joint ESA/JAXA mission to Mercury, was launched in October 2018 and is scheduled to arrive at Mercury in November 2026 after an 8-year cruise. Like other planetary missions, its scientific objectives focus mostly on the nominal, orbiting phase of the mission. However, due to the long duration of the cruise phase covering distances between 1.2 and 0.3 AU, the BepiColombo mission has been able to outstandingly contribute to characterise the solar wind and transient events encountered by the spacecraft, as well as planetary environments during the flybys of Earth, Venus, and Mercury, and contribute to the characterisation of the space radiation environment in the inner Solar System and its evolution with solar activity. In this paper, we provide an overview of the cruise observations of BepiColombo, highlighting the most relevant science cases, with the aim of demonstrating the importance of planetary missions to perform cruise observations, to contribute to a broader understanding of Space Weather in the Solar System, and in turn, increase the scientific return of the mission.
贝皮科伦坡号是欧洲航天局(ESA)和日本宇宙航空研究开发机构(JAXA)联合开展的水星探测任务,于2018年10月发射,计划在经过8年的巡航后,于2026年11月抵达水星。与其他行星探测任务一样,其科学目标主要集中在任务的标称轨道阶段。然而,由于巡航阶段持续时间长,跨越了1.2至0.3天文单位的距离,贝皮科伦坡号任务能够出色地为表征航天器遇到的太阳风及瞬态事件、地球、金星和水星飞越期间的行星环境做出贡献,并有助于表征内太阳系的空间辐射环境及其随太阳活动的演变。在本文中,我们概述了贝皮科伦坡号的巡航观测情况,突出了最相关的科学案例,目的是展示行星探测任务进行巡航观测的重要性,有助于更广泛地了解太阳系中的空间天气,进而提高任务的科学回报。