Ariane Flight VA245 is the

Ariane 5 Ariane 5 is a European heavy-lift space launch vehicle developed and operated by Arianespace for the European Space Agency (ESA). It is launched from the Centre Spatial Guyanais (CSG) in French Guiana. It has been used to deliver payloads int ...

space launch of ''

BepiColombo BepiColombo is a joint mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to the planet Mercury. The mission comprises two satellites launched together: the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and ''Mio'' ...

'' that took place on 20 October 2018 at 01:45:28 UTC from the

Guiana Space Centre The Guiana Space Centre (french: links=no, Centre spatial guyanais; CSG), also called Europe's Spaceport, is a European spaceport to the northwest of Kourou in French Guiana, a region of France in South America. Kourou is located approximatel ...

. It was the launch of

(the in 2018), and the

Arianespace Arianespace SA is a French company founded in 1980 as the world's first commercial launch service provider. It undertakes the operation and marketing of the Ariane programme. The company offers a number of different launch vehicles: the heavy ...

mission (the in 2018).

Payload

The payload of the launcher was the ''

spacecraft A spacecraft is a vehicle or machine designed to fly in outer space. A type of artificial satellite, spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, Earth observation, meteorology, navigation, space colonization, p ...

. The total

payload Payload is the object or the entity which is being carried by an aircraft or launch vehicle. Sometimes payload also refers to the carrying capacity of an aircraft or launch vehicle, usually measured in terms of weight. Depending on the nature of ...

mass was approximately , including the payload adapter.

BepiColombo

'' had a liftoff mass of approximately . It comprises 3 different elements that will remain attached together during launch and cruise to

Mercury Mercury commonly refers to: * Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun * Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg * Mercury (mythology), a Roman god Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to: Companies * Merc ...

: the Mercury Transfer Module (MTM), the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO), and the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (''Mio'' or MMO). The assembly was accommodated inside the long version of the upper stage fairing. ''BepiColombo'', a joint mission between

ESA , owners = , headquarters = Paris, Île-de-France, France , coordinates = , spaceport = Guiana Space Centre , seal = File:ESA emblem seal.png , seal_size = 130px , image = Views in the Main Control Room (1205 ...

and

JAXA The is the Japanese national air and space agency. Through the merger of three previously independent organizations, JAXA was formed on 1 October 2003. JAXA is responsible for research, technology development and launch of satellites into orb ...

, is Europe's first space mission to

. The European modules ( MTM and MPO) were designed and manufactured by

Airbus Airbus SE (; ; ; ) is a European Multinational corporation, multinational aerospace corporation. Airbus designs, manufactures and sells civil and military aerospace manufacturer, aerospace products worldwide and manufactures aircraft througho ...

at its

Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen ( or ; Low Alemannic: ''Hafe'' or ''Fridrichshafe'') is a city on the northern shoreline of Lake Constance (the ''Bodensee'') in Southern Germany, near the borders of both Switzerland and Austria. It is the district capital (''Kre ...

site in Germany as prime contractor for

, heading a consortium of 83 companies from 16 countries. The Japanese module (''

Mio Mio or MIO may refer to: shortened form of Mioritic Shepherd dog or Mioritic sheepdog; a Romanian mountain dog. Places * Mio, Michigan, a town in the US Music * ''Mío'', 2011 album by David Bustamante * "Mío", 1992 song by Paulina Rubio Bra ...

'') was built by ISAS for

. This flight was

's mission,

's mission and spacecraft launched by

, and the latter's deep space mission.

Mission overview

Launch date

The

launch of 2018 took place on 20 October 2018 at 01:45:28 UTC (19 October 2018 22:45:28 local time) from Ariane Launch Complex No. 3 (ELA 3) in

Kourou Kourou () is a commune in French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France in South America. Kourou is famous for being the location of the Guiana Space Centre, the main spaceport of France and the European Space Agency (ESA). It i ...

French Guiana French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic ...

Pre-flight activities

The different parts of the spacecraft arrived in

between April 24 and May 9. Deployment testing of ''BepiColombo'' MTM 2 solar arrays (which will generate up to 11.2 kW of power) were performed at the

in the SC5 facilities. The MMO was integrated on the MPO between August 20 and 21. They were both integrated on the MTM between September 19 and 20 to complete ''BepiColombo''. ''BepiColombo'' was assembled with its payload adapter on October 4, integrated on the launch vehicle on October 9, and enclosed within the fairing on October 11. The launch readiness review toko place on 17 October 2018 in

to authorise the start of the final operations.

Orbit

The launch lasted 26 minutes and 47 seconds until separation, placing ''BepiColombo'' into a Mercury transfer orbit, escaping the Earth with a hyperbolic escape velocity of about and at an inclination of about -3.8 degrees. It is expected to be captured by and start orbiting Mercury approximately on 5 December 2025, after a 7-year travel that will include several

flybys Flyby may refer to: * Flypast or flyover, a celebratory display or ceremonial flight * Flyby (spaceflight), a spacecraft concept * Planetary flyby, a type of interplanetary spacecraft mission * Gravity assist, a spaceflight maneuver * Fly-by, cir ...

of the

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never fa ...

, and Mercury itself.

References

External links

Presskit
for Ariane Flight VA245 by

{{Ariane VA245, Ariane flight 2018 in spaceflight October 2018 events in South America 2018 in French Guiana Rocket launches in 2018