CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A recent flyby of Mercury has yielded some of the most impressive close-up images of the planet’s north pole. The robotic spacecraft, a collaboration between European and Japanese space agencies, approached within 183 miles (295 kilometers) of Mercury’s dark side before making its way directly over the polar region. Stunning photographs showcasing the permanently shadowed craters on this unique planet were released by the European Space Agency on Thursday.

The images also highlight nearby volcanic plains and feature Mercury’s largest impact crater, which measures over 930 miles (1,500 kilometers) in diameter. This event marks the sixth and final flyby of the BepiColombo spacecraft, which was launched in 2018. The successful maneuver sets the spacecraft on a trajectory to enter Mercury’s orbit in late 2024. The spacecraft is equipped with two orbiters, one developed by Europe and the other by Japan, both of which are designed to study the planet’s polar regions.

Named after the distinguished Italian mathematician Giuseppe “Bepi” Colombo, this spacecraft pays tribute to his contributions, notably his role in NASA’s Mariner 10 mission to Mercury during the 1970s. Furthermore, he was instrumental in the Italian Space Agency’s tethered satellite project, which operated aboard U.S. space shuttles in the following decades.