Reaching Mercury is such a challenge because “the gravitational pull of the Sun is very strong near Mercury, which makes it difficult for spacecraft to slow down enough to enter orbit around the planet,” explains Lina Hadid, staff scientist at CNRS in France and principal investigator of one of BepiColombo’s instruments.

The BepiColombo mission recently made its sixth flyby of Mercury, snapping some images along the way.The Latest Tech News, Delivered to Your Inbox

A spacecraft named BepiColombo is currently zipping by planet Mercury, making a very close flyby and snapping incredible high-def photos.

The BepiColombo mission successfully completed its sixth flyby of the innermost planet, moving closer to its final goal of entering its orbit.

BepiColombo made its sixth and final flyby of Mercury on Wed (Jan. 8) capturing images of the tiny planet hinting at the mysteries it will soon investigate.

BepiColombo passed a mere 295 kilometers above Mercury's surface at 6:59 CET on Jan. 9. The flyby began on the planet's frigid night side. Seven minutes later, the probe emerged from the shadows over the North Pole. This area was bathed in light, allowing it to capture a stunning visage with its monitoring cameras (M-CAMs).