![](\"http:\/\/www.esa.int\/var\/esa\/storage\/images\/esa_multimedia\/images\/2018\/10\/from_mission_control_to_mercury\/17835461-1-eng-GB\/From_mission_control_to_Mercury_small.jpg\")
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\nIn the early hours of Saturday morning, on 20 October 2018, BepiColombo left Earth on its journey to explore Mercury, the innermost planet of our Solar System.\n<\/p>\n
\nThis photo shows two Estrack<\/a> engineers, Lucy Santana and Daniel Firre, working \u2018on console\u2019 during the launch, coordinating communications with BepiColombo in space and ESA\u2019s global network of ground stations.\n<\/p>\n \nAfter liftoff, shifts of teams at ESA\u2019s Main Control Room in Darmstadt, Germany, took control of the interplanetary explorer, guiding it through its first critical moments<\/a> in space.\n<\/p>\n \nBepiColombo\u2019s \u2018Launch and Early Orbit Phase\u2019 ended just 58 hours after the spacecraft left Earth, a period in which mission teams worked 24-hours a day to ensure the mission\u2019s health and functioning in its new environment.\n<\/p>\n \nFor the next two months, these skilled operators, engineers, experts in flight dynamics, software systems and ground systems, will take BepiColombo through extensive in-orbit commissioning \u2014 safeguarding the science instruments, propulsion and other systems of the Mercury explorer.\n<\/p>\n \nA tricky seven year journey lies ahead for this ESA\/JAXA<\/a> mission, which will include nine interplanetary flybys around Earth, Venus and Mercury itself \u2014 all made possible with the experience and dedication on hand at ESA\u2019s mission control.\n<\/p>\n \n#TeamOfTeams<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \nIn the early hours of Saturday morning, on 20 October 2018, BepiColombo left Earth on its journey to explore Mercury, the innermost planet of our Solar System.\n<\/p>\n \nThis photo shows two Estrack<\/a> engineers, Lucy Santana and Daniel Firre, working ‘on console’ during the launch, coordinating communications with BepiColombo in space and ESA’s global network of ground stations.\n<\/p>\n \nAfter liftoff, shifts of teams at ESA’s Main Control Room in Darmstadt, Germany, took control of the interplanetary explorer, guiding it through its first critical moments<\/a> in space.\n<\/p>\n \nBepiColombo’s ‘Launch and Early Orbit Phase’ ended just 58 hours after the spacecraft left Earth, a period in which mission teams worked 24-hours a day to ensure the mission’s health and functioning in its new environment.\n<\/p>\n \nFor the next two months, these skilled operators, engineers, experts in flight dynamics, software systems and ground systems, will take BepiColombo through extensive in-orbit commissioning — safeguarding the science instruments, propulsion and other systems of the Mercury explorer.\n<\/p>\n \nA tricky seven year journey lies ahead for this ESA\/JAXA<\/a> mission, which will include nine interplanetary flybys around Earth, Venus and Mercury itself — all made possible with the experience and dedication on hand at ESA’s mission control.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n