[Satellite Today – 1-18-08] Astrium and the European Space Agency (ESA) signed a contract for the development of the BepiColombo spacecraft, Europe’s first mission to Mercury, ESA announced Jan. 18.

BepiColombo was selected by ESA as one of its cornerstone missions in October 2000, and Astrium was selected as prime contractor in 2006. The spacecraft, a joint program between ESA and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), will study the origin and evolution of Mercury, the status of its interior and magnetic field as well as test of Einstein’s theory of General Relativity.

Astrium will lead a team to design and build ESA’s Mercury Planetary Orbiter, which will carry 11 instruments to study the surface and internal composition of the planet as well as the Mercury Transfer Module, which will carry both the Planetary Orbiter and JAXA’s Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter.

The mission will cost 665 million euros ($971.9 million), including the launch and the operations up to 2020. Astrium’s contract is valued 350.9 million euros ($512.8 million).