Space Robotics original production “BepiColombo The Game” is already in the alpha test version and a public beta will hopefully be available for download in the following weeks. Join us in this adventure, learn more about this project and feel free to contact us if you want to get notified when the game is released.
BepiColombo The Game
“BepiColombo The Game” © is a Space Robotics original video-game about ESA’s BepiColombo Mission. This creation is framed in our Space Education project, which has always been strongly committed to education and scientific dissemination. Hence, besides being as fun as a classic video-game, “BepiColombo The Game” introduces the player to the space industry and the scientific community. The structure is quite simple: players may choose their favourite between arcade or story mode and begin their own adventure through space. The arcade mode comprises several addictive minigames that represent different stages of the mission. Each one of them shows real data about the spacecraft, about Mercury, or about any other part of the mission, and they will all challenge the player to get a higher score each time he tries.
On the other hand, the story mode, which will also include the arcades, gives you control over Astronaut Lili, who must oversee the BepiColombo project from its very beginning until the end of the mission, making vital decisions and taking part in all its stages. Her adventures take place in real ESA and JAXA facilities, including ESAC, ESOC, and the Guiana Space Centre. The digital scenarios of those places were all designed from scratch for the game, but always inspired by the original blueprints. The story walks Lili through all these scenarios and through all the steps in a space mission, from design to scientific investigations, going through construction, launch and orbital dynamics. Doesn’t matter which mode you prefer, the objective will always be the mission success, and while you keep trying to get a higher score in the arcades or a better result in the story, you will be having fun and learning without even noticing. Give it a try!
About the BepiColombo Mission
BepiColombo is Europe’s first mission to Mercury. It is actually a joint adventure between ESA (the European Space Agency) and JAXA (the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency). ESA has built the MPO (Mercury Planetary Orbiter) while JAXA is in charge of the MMO (Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter). Both satellites are being carried to Mercury by the MTM (Mercury Transfer Module), which on October 20, 2018, was launched by an Ariane 5 rocket from the French Guiana, beginning its seven-year journey through the Solar System.
Mercury has only been visited by human-made spacecraft twice. It is by far the least explored planet in the inner Solar System, which means there is still a lot to be revealed. When it reaches Mercury in late 2025, BepiColombo will hopefully gather data during its 1-year nominal mission or more, providing the best understanding of Mercury to date. Among other things, it will study and understand the composition, geophysics, atmosphere, magnetosphere and history of the first planet in our Solar System.
The BepiColombo mission is anything but a walk in the park. Mercury is difficult to reach because a spacecraft must lose a lot of energy to fall towards the planet from the Earth. Once in Mercury, the Sun’s enormous gravity presents a challenge in placing a spacecraft into a stable orbit. And even if BepiColombo successfully reaches its final orbit, it must endure temperatures in excess of 350 °C and extremely high radiation doses. But if everything works as planned, the reward is giant. The MMO and MPO will explore Mercury as never before, providing highly valuable data that for decades will lead to new discoveries about Mercury and our Solar System.