RE: https://mastodon.social/@markmccaughrean/117207004186073138
Success 🙂 BepiColombo’s transfer propulsion module has separated from the two science spacecraft, another major step in this mission to study Mercury.
This was confirmed by a change in the doppler shift of the signal coming from Bepi as its trajectory changed slightly.
Lots of smiles & clapping here at ESOC 👍
But this isn’t over yet – it’ll be a while, 90 minutes or longer, before we hear again from the main science spacecraft, when it has rebooted & reoriented, then sends signals home.
The watch party at ESA’s European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, moments before the separation of the Mercury Transfer Module propulsion module from the two science spacecraft from ESA & JAXA.
And that will be the end of MTM, with its electric ion engines powered by huge solar arrays – its job is done.
It has been a long eight years since the launch to reach this key moment en-route to the enigmatic innermost planet of our solar system.
