BepiColombo captures breathtaking up-close views of Mercury's surface.
The BepiColombo mission, operated by the European Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, captured rare images of Mercury during its third gravity-assisted flyby at the planet. The images show multiple tectonic and volcanic features, including a newly named impact crater, which scientists believe may contain remnants of the planet's early carbon-rich crust. The mission will continue to monitor the crater from orbit and complete another flyby of Mercury in September 2024.