Messenger Spacecraft to Mercury

NASA artist conception of Messenger in orbit about Mercury

MESSENGER was a NASA robotic spacecraft that orbited the planet Mercury between 2011 and 2015, studying Mercury's chemical composition, geology, and magnetic field. The name is derived from "MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging".

MESSENGER was launched aboard a Delta II rocket in August 2004. Its path involved a complex series of flybys - the spacecraft flew by Earth once, Venus twice, and Mercury itself three times, allowing it to decelerate relative to Mercury using minimal fuel. During its first flyby of Mercury in January 2008, MESSENGER became the second mission, after Mariner 10 in 1975, to reach Mercury.

MESSENGER entered orbit around Mercury on March 18, 2011, becoming the first spacecraft to do so. It successfully completed its primary mission in 2012. Following two mission extensions, the spacecraft used the last of its maneuvering propellant to deorbit, impacting the surface of Mercury on April 30, 2015.

Messenger to Mercury

The complex path of the Messenger spacecraft to its orbit around Mercury involved several gravity assist maneuvers designed to use the Earth, Venus, and Mercury itself to achieve the goal of orbiting around the planet.

Messenger Images

Messenger's trajectory brought it back around the Earth in a flyby, providing the opportunity for images of the Earth. NASA, October 11, 2005.

First full color picture of Mercury by Messenger.

View from second flyby of Messenger in October 2008. Kuiper crater near center.

Closer view of previously unseen side of Mercury. Shortly following MESSENGERÕs closest approach to Mercury on January 14, 2008, this image was taken from a distance of about 18,000 kilometers (11,000 miles) from the surface of Mercury. This was about 58 minutes after the closest approach point of the flyby. The region shown is about 500 kilometers (300 miles) across, and craters as small as 1 kilometer (0.6 mile) can be seen in this image.