The BepiColombo Mission, Guided by Santa Martínez, in the Initial Exploration of Mercury

The Naukas Bilbao Inicios event focused on the great beginnings studied by science, highlighting the exploration of Mercury.

Generic image: with abstract scientific diagrams evoking early exploration and discovery.
AI

Generic image: with abstract scientific diagrams evoking early exploration and discovery.

The Naukas Bilbao Inicios event, held on September 19th at the Euskalduna Palace in Bilbao, centered on the great beginnings studied by science, with a particular focus on the exploration of Mercury.

This year, unlike previous editions where each talk addressed an independent theme, all interventions shared a common thread: the great beginnings in history. The event is designed to offer attendees a global perspective on significant scientific beginnings.
In a session led by Santa Martínez, systems engineer at ESA and coordinator of the BepiColombo mission, the early stages of solar system exploration were highlighted. Martínez noted that Mercury is an almost unknown planet and explained that the BepiColombo mission, a joint effort between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), aims to study its surface composition, internal structure, large iron core, magnetic field, and magnetosphere.
Naukas Bilbao Inicios is part of the scientific dissemination festival Bilbo Zientzia Plaza 2026 (BZP).
Based on information from the official source: Cuaderno de Cultura Científica — UPV/EHU (31/10/2026)