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Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging (MESSENGER)

The MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging (MESSENGER) mission will advance understanding of Mercury and his history. MESSENGER will be the first spacecraft to achieve a stationary orbit around Mercury. It is also only the second mission, since Mariner 10 in 1974-75, to visit Mercury. To get into orbit around Mercury, it has followed a complex path through the inner solar system. Its journey includes one flyby of Earth, two past Venus, and three gravity-assist flybys of Mercury. MESSENGER launched in August 2004, and began orbiting Mercury in March 2011.

Launch Date

August 2004

Class

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The MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging (MESSENGER) mission will advance understanding of Mercury and his history. MESSENGER will be the first spacecraft to achieve a stationary orbit around Mercury. It is also only the second mission, since Mariner 10 in 1974-75, to visit Mercury. To get into orbit around Mercury, it has followed a complex path through the inner solar system. Its journey includes one flyby of Earth, two past Venus, and three gravity-assist flybys of Mercury. MESSENGER launched in August 2004, and began orbiting Mercury in March 2011.

Related Publications

2012. "Characterization of the Morphometry of Impact Craters Hosting Polar Deposits in Mercury's North Polar Region.", Journal of Geophysical Research, 117 (E00L13): 12 [Full Text] [10.1029/2012JE004155] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "The case for landed Mercury science.", Experimental Astronomy, 54 (2-3): 561-573 [10.1007/s10686-021-09788-8] [Journal Article/Letter]

2025. "Mach Number Scaling of Foreshock Magnetic Fluctuations at Quasi-parallel Bow Shocks and Their Role in Magnetospheric Driving Throughout the Solar System.", The Astrophysical Journal, 980 (1): 7 [10.3847/1538-4357/ada440] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "Highly resolved topography and illumination at Mercury’s South Pole from MESSENGER MDIS-NAC.", The Planetary Science Journal, 4 (21): [Full Text] [10.3847/PSJ/acaddb] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "Regional variations of Mercury's crustal density and porosity from MESSENGER gravity data.", Icarus, 391 115332 [10.1016/j.icarus.2022.115332] [Journal Article/Letter]