{"id":"6caaf9ad-eedb-4b87-9000-e43885762436","url":"https://www.theregister.com/science/2026/09/05/bepicolombo-sheds-its-ride-and-starts-the-final-glide-to-mercury/5294601","domain":"theregister.com","outlet":{"name":"Theregister","country":null,"cred":null,"lean":null,"curated":false},"title":"BepiColombo sheds its ride and starts the final glide to Mercury","plainHeadline":"BepiColombo begins final approach to Mercury after jettisoning power module","rewrite":{"model":null,"at":null},"summary":["After eight years, BepiColombo nears Mercury and begins arrival sequence.","Mercury Transfer Module separated from stack on September 3, signals detected.","Mercury Planetary Orbiter's solar panels charge the spacecraft's batteries during cruise.","Mission timeline: MPO/MMO release, orbital insertion targeted for November and December.","Arrival originally planned for 2025 due to SEP issues; now expected in late 2026."],"topics":["Space","Science"],"lang":"eng","publishedAt":"2026-09-05T06:41:00.000Z","ingestedAt":"2026-09-05T07:08:41.813Z","story":null}