![](\"http:\/\/www.esa.int\/var\/esa\/storage\/images\/esa_multimedia\/images\/2014\/10\/inside_bepicolombo_s_mercury_transfer_module\/14949219-3-eng-GB\/Inside_BepiColombo_s_Mercury_Transfer_Module_small.jpg\"){kind=spacer}
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\nThis labyrinth of power, data and propellant lines is found inside the Mercury Transfer Module, the powerful haulage vehicle tasked with transporting ESA\u2019s BepiColombo mission on its 7.5-year journey to the innermost planet.\n<\/p>\n
\nThis is the flight model, which will be among the attractions on show at Sunday\u2019s ESTEC Open Day<\/a>. The two wrinkled-looking silver spheres are propellant tanks.\n<\/p>\n \nThe main challenge of flying to Mercury is to slow down enough to fall into the Sun\u2019s gravitational pull, the strength of which grows with proximity.\n<\/p>\n \nThe module will use a combination of chemical and electric thrusters to make the trek, interspersed with gravity-assist swingbys of Earth, Venus and Mercury itself.\n<\/p>\n \nA pair of solar wings, adding up to 33 sq m in total, will generate the power needed to keep the electric thrusters firing.\n<\/p>\n \nThe module will sit at the bottom of the BepiColombo stack, next to ESA\u2019s Mercury Planetary Orbiter, which will be attached in turn to JAXA\u2019s Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter.\n<\/p>\n \nBepiColombo<\/a> is due to be launched by Ariane 5 from Europe\u2019s Spaceport in French Guiana in 2016.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \t\t\t\t\t \nThis labyrinth of power, data and propellant lines is found inside the Mercury Transfer Module, the powerful haulage vehicle tasked with transporting ESA\u2019s BepiColombo mission on its 7.5-year journey to the innermost planet.\n<\/p>\n \nThis is the flight model, which will be among the attractions on show at Sunday\u2019s ESTEC Open Day<\/a>. The two wrinkled-looking silver spheres are propellant tanks.\n<\/p>\n \nThe main challenge of flying to Mercury is to slow down enough to fall into the Sun\u2019s gravitational pull, the strength of which grows with proximity.\n<\/p>\n \nThe module will use a combination of chemical and electric thrusters to make the trek, interspersed with gravity-assist swingbys of Earth, Venus and Mercury itself.\n<\/p>\n \nA pair of solar wings, adding up to 33 sq m in total, will generate the power needed to keep the electric thrusters firing.\n<\/p>\n \nThe module will sit at the bottom of the BepiColombo stack, next to ESA\u2019s Mercury Planetary Orbiter, which will be attached in turn to JAXA\u2019s Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n