MESSENGER

Mission Profile

MESSENGER (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging) was NASA's first spacecraft to orbit Mercury, launched on 3 August 2004 aboard a Delta II 7925H and arriving at Mercury in March 2011 after a complex multi-flyby trajectory. During its four-year orbital mission it mapped 100% of Mercury's surface for the first time, discovered water ice in permanently shadowed polar craters, and revealed a surprisingly ancient and geologically complex world. The spacecraft ended its mission on 30 April 2015 when its propellant depleted and it impacted the surface at over 14,000 km/h. MESSENGER fundamentally transformed our understanding of the innermost planet and set the stage for ESA/JAXA's BepiColombo mission.