The recent issue with BepiColombo’s propulsion system could risk its ability to complete its upcoming gravity assist.

QinetiQ just announced a £23m contract with EADS Astrium for the supply of its propulsion system for the BepiColombo mission.

The Mercury Transfer Module is equipped with solar arrays and an electric propulsion system used to generate thrust.

The Airbus-built Mercury Transfer Module (MTM) will carry the orbiters to Mercury using a combination of solar electric propulsion and gravity assist flybys.

The propulsion system designed to carry MESSENGER through a six-year, nearly 4-billion mile trip to and around Mercury is complete, marking a major step in the NASA Discovery mission’s development.

The ESA-JAXA BepiColombo mission is on its way to Mercury, but instead of coasting to the smallest planet in the Solar System, it will be helped along by four state-of-the-art ion thrusters ...