BepiColombo launched on 20 October 2018, and this year's anniversary comes as the ESA/JAXA mission nears the end of eight years travelling through the inner Solar System. According to ESA, the spacecraft will arrive at Mercury on 9 December 2026. To mark the occasion, mission team members were asked to describe BepiColombo in just three words.

Their answers included complex, collaborative and transformative, reflecting both the demanding journey to Mercury and the international teamwork behind the mission, ESA said. The responses offer a personal snapshot of the mission as it approaches its long-awaited destination.