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BepiColombo orbiters take off for Mercury tonight
If you've ever wondered what's happening over on Mercury, you'll have an answer soon. Well, soon-ish. BepiColombo, a joint effort between the space agencies of Europe and Japan, will send off a spacecraft Friday night at about 9:45 PM ET with the destination set for the closest rock to the sun. Don't expect to hear much from the little adventurer for a while, though -- it won't reach Mercury's orbit until late 2025.
Watch the first British astronaut in over 20 years blast off for the ISS
One in, one out. Or to be more specific, three in and three out. A trio of astronauts descended from the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday, making way for a new group of space-smitten explorers. Among the group blasting off today is Tim Peake, the first British astronaut to visit the ISS and the first UK astronaut to explore space in over 20 years. He'll be joined by NASA astronaut Tim Kopra and experienced cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko, who in 2003 became the first person to marry in space.
Watch live: Japanese space launch sends Kirobo up to the ISS (video)
You love robots, and you love rocket launches... right? So, you're going to want to watch the double whammy this afternoon we're guessing. That cutesy little Kirobo fella is making his way up to the ISS, and you can see it unfold live, right here, with coverage starting at 3:00pm ET. So, grab a sandwich and get comfortable. Though, we can't promise Kirobo will be making an actual appearance, stranger things have happened.
