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Watch the replay of the livestream originally broadcast on 3 September as ESA/JAXA's BepiColombo mission took the first critical step towards arriving at Mercury.

After travelling through the inner Solar System together for eight years, BepiColombo's Mercury Transfer Module (MTM) will separate from the rest of the stacked spacecraft on 3 September 2026. This marks the beginning of one of the most complex planetary arrival sequences ever attempted by ESA.

Broadcast live from ESA's European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany, the programme includes live views from the iconic Main Control Room, expert analysis, behind-the-scenes insights, and the first signal from the spacecraft following separation. 

Livestream schedule (CEST): 

13:45 – Livestream begins 
14:00 – MTM separation 
14:30 – Livestream pause 
15:30 – Livestream resumes 
15:53 – Earliest possible acquisition of signal and spacecraft status check 
16:00-16:45 – End of livestream  

ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot and NASA astronaut Jessica Meir successfully completed US EVA-99 at 21:29 CEST on Tuesday 1 September. It was Sophie’s third spacewalk, and the 33rd conducted by a European astronaut.

During the 6-hour, 49-minute spacewalk, Sophie and Jessica completed several maintenance tasks, including replacing a spacecraft navigational aid, preparing a cosmic particle detector for future upgrades, installing jumper cables to enhance data relay capabilities, and collecting samples for the MicroOrganisms experiment.

ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot and NASA astronaut Jessica Meir successfully completed US EVA-99 at 21:29 CEST on Tuesday 1 September. It was Sophie’s third spacewalk, and the 33rd conducted by a European astronaut.

During the 6-hour, 49-minute spacewalk, Sophie and Jessica completed several maintenance tasks, including replacing a spacecraft navigational aid, preparing a cosmic particle detector for future upgrades, installing jumper cables to enhance data relay capabilities, and collecting samples for the MicroOrganisms experiment.

This sprawling cosmic vista and subject of today’s ESA/Hubble Picture of the Month comes from the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). The LMC is the largest of the small galaxies that orbit our Milky Way galaxy. At just 160 000 light-years away, the LMC offers a close look at highly active stellar birthsites like the nebula shown here. This nebula is named LHA 120-N44, or N44 for short, and it’s located in the constellation Dorado.

The appearance of this photogenic nebula is dominated by two features: a vast central void and a shell of dense, dusty gas. The central void is a ‘superbubble’ spanning roughly 210 by 140 light-years. The glittering stars at the centre of the void are responsible for its creation; through their powerful stellar winds and explosive supernovae, these stars have expelled much of the gas from which they were born.

When the stars of N44’s central star cluster swept away this gas, the expelled gas formed a shell around the superbubble. New stars are forming in this compressed gas shell, making N44 an interesting target for researchers studying the process of star formation. In particular, astronomers have turned to this nebula as an ideal place to time this process from start to finish. Their goal is to understand how long it takes from the collapse of cold gas clouds into dense knots to the moment nuclear fusion ignites in the heart of a newborn star.

Researchers used Hubble to survey N44 and take a census of its stars, cataloguing nearly half a million stars within the cluster as well as interlopers drifting in front of it. Of the stars surveyed, nearly 30 000 are what astronomers call pre-main-sequence stars, which have yet to begin fusing hydrogen into helium in their cores. This treasure trove of baby stars was discoverable thanks to the high sensitivity and fine spatial resolution of Hubble’s instruments that can pick out faint objects in crowded clusters.

The gas shell surrounding the superbubble is energised by ultraviolet radiation from massive stars, causing it to glow and highlighting several distinct features. Each feature within the broader N44 star-forming complex was catalogued by astronomer Karl Henize in the 1950s. One feature is a smaller bubble, catalogued as N44F, that is located near the upper-right corner of this image. N44F is an interstellar bubble blown by the intense stellar winds of a single hot and massive star. As this previously released Hubble closeup shows, the star’s furious winds and radiation have sculpted the surrounding bubble and created pillars of dusty gas.

The data used to create this image come from an observing programme (#14689; PI: Gouliermis) that aimed to probe stars in the N44 complex that have not yet begun fusing hydrogen into heavier elements in their cores. These data help to determine how long the process of star formation takes, as well as what masses newborn stars typically have. Hubble's sensitive observations of the lowest-mass stars in this region open a new window onto star formation in regions that, like the LMC or the galaxies of the early Universe, are poor in elements heavier than helium.

[Image Description: A dense field of stars fills the image, surrounded by wispy clouds of gas and dust. Pale blue and grey nebulosity forms an intricate web across the scene, with darker clouds of dust concentrated towards the lower right. Numerous bright stars appear in shades of blue, white and orange.]

ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot and NASA astronaut Jessica Meir successfully completed US EVA-99 at 21:29 CEST on Tuesday 1 September. It was Sophie’s third spacewalk, and the 33rd conducted by a European astronaut.   

During the 6-hour, 49-minute spacewalk, Sophie and Jessica completed several maintenance tasks, including replacing a spacecraft navigational aid, preparing a cosmic particle detector for future upgrades, installing jumper cables to enhance data relay capabilities, and collecting samples for the MicroOrganisms experiment.  

Following its targeted reentry on 31 August, Samba (Cluster II FM-7), the third of ESA's four Cluster satellites, was successfully observed by the ROSIE airborne mission 2026. The ROSIE reentry observation team acquired the image with a Nikon Z8 camera operated by University of Stuttgart (HEFDiG). 

Samba reentered Earth’s atmosphere at 21:39:38 UTC / 23:39:38 CEST as the third of the four Cluster satellites. Samba had been specially lined up for a targeted reentry safely over the South Pacific Ocean, with the precision so high that a plane could fly out from Tonga and successfully record its demise for reentry science.  

Following the first Cluster plane campaign observing Salsa’s reentry in 2024, there were lessons learned that helped improve the data collection this time around. The ROSIE team managed to get over 50 seconds of footage with this camera, one of several so-called tracking cameras. Also, instead of just observing a few of the brightest fragments, this time dozens of fragments can clearly be seen streaking across the sky.  

The tracking camera was used to confirm that Samba was exactly where it was supposed to be. It shows the surroundings, providing context such as the state of fragmentation and relative positioning of the fragments. Tracking camera images are complemented by other instruments that look for the presence of specific materials in the same field of view.  

This then helps scientists identify which part of the spacecraft they are looking on their quest to understand how satellites demise exactly. 

Rewatch the European Space Agency's 31 August 2026 online press briefing on the latest developments of the ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission, Europe's and Japan's first mission to Mercury.

This briefing focused on the complexities of the separation of the Mercury Transfer Module (MTM), scheduled for 3 September 2026, a critical milestone marking the start of BepiColombo’s Mercury arrival phase. It also provided an overview of the operational challenges and milestones ahead, including Mercury orbit insertion in November 2026 and the separation of the two science orbiters (ESA's MPO and JAXA's Mio) in December 2026.

The briefing also provided an update on the mission’s status and explored the scientific opportunities that await as BepiColombo prepares to begin operations around Mercury. Journalists had the opportunity to ask questions following the presentations from three speakers:

• Prof. Geraint Jones, Lead Project Scientist, ESA
• Santa Martinez, Mission Manager, ESA
• Ignacio Tanco, Head of Inner Solar System Mission Operations, ESA

BepiColombo will be the most complex mission ever sent to Mercury. Its orbiters will be only the second and third to orbit the planet. Close to the Sun and more difficult for an orbiter to reach than Pluto, this small desert world is the least explored planet of the inner Solar System. Learning more about Mercury will shed light on the history of the entire Solar System.

The mission is a collaboration between ESA and JAXA, the latter providing the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (Mio).

Click here for a set of explanatory infographics

ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot will take part in her third spacewalk during U.S. Spacewalk 99 on Tuesday 1 September. NASA live coverage will begin at 13:00 CEST, with the spacewalk expected to start at approximately 14:30 CEST and last around six and a half hours.

Together with NASA astronaut Jessica Meir, she will replace a retroreflector on the International Space Station’s Harmony module, supporting spacecraft navigation during rendezvous and docking operations. The astronauts will also carry out several maintenance tasks, including installing data-relay system jumper cables, preparing the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer’s radiator for future maintenance and replacing a high-definition camera on the station’s truss.

This picture was published as part of a set on social media by ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot, with the following caption:

Day 194, orbit 3010 — A few pictures from my second EVA, straight from the cameras!

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Jour 194, orbite 3010 – Quelques photos de ma deuxième sortie dans l’espace, tout droit sorties des appareils photo !

This picture was published as part of a set on social media by ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot, with the following caption:

Day 194, orbit 3010 — A few pictures from my second EVA, straight from the cameras!

--

Jour 194, orbite 3010 – Quelques photos de ma deuxième sortie dans l’espace, tout droit sorties des appareils photo !

This picture was published as part of a set on social media by ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot, with the following caption:

Day 194, orbit 3010 — A few pictures from my second EVA, straight from the cameras!

--

Jour 194, orbite 3010 – Quelques photos de ma deuxième sortie dans l’espace, tout droit sorties des appareils photo !

The EasyMotion-2 experiment is investigating whether adding electro-myostimulation (EMS) to an astronaut's exercise routine can better preserve muscle tone, stiffness and functional strength in space. EMS delivers mild electrical impulses through the skin to activate specific muscles in a controlled and safe way.

For about three to four weeks, ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot completed EMS-assisted exercise sessions on the T2 treadmill and ARED resistive exercise device. These exercises targeted key muscle groups involved in posture and movement, including the neck, back, shoulders, thighs and knees.

Measurements are taken before, during and after the mission using a range of techniques, including myotonometry supported by dynamometry, surface electromyography (sEMG) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Just one week after making her spacewalking debut, ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot is heading back outside the International Space Station.

Together with NASA astronaut Anil Menon, Sophie will exit the Station from the Quest airlock at approximately 13:35 BST/14:35 CEST to install a Space-to-Ground antenna (SGANT) – a critical communications system used to transmit data and enable high-speed communication between Mission Control in Houston and the Space Station.

Anil and Sophie are expected to spend about six and a half hours outside the orbital complex, installing and connecting the antenna to restore full redundancy to the Station.

Join the livestream coverage on ESA WebTV and ESA’s YouTube channel at 12:00 BST/13:00 CEST.