Spacecraft's thruster glitch slows down Mercury mission, but flyby delivers stunning new data

A spacecraft carrying European and Japanese probes flew closer to Mercury than expected overnight due to engine issues, delaying the mission to explore the little-known, Sun-scorched planet. Mercury is "the most difficult" planet for probes to reach, explained Paris Observatory astronomer Alain Doressoundiram. The European Space Agency's operations team confirmed that "all went well" with the flyby overnight, the mission's account on X said on Thursday. After months spent investigating the problem, the thrusters will "remain operating below the minimum thrust required for an insertion into orbit around Mercury in December 2025," mission manager Santa Martinez said in a statement earlier this week.