Follow this link to skip to the main content

Explore Orbital Data Using

Connect with MESSENGER

› Facebook →

› Twitter →

› Mobile Apps →

› Johns Hopkins University Site →
› NASA Webcasts →
› Archived Launch Coverage →
› Subscribe to E-news →
› More on Mercury →
› Discovery Program →
› Mariner 10 →

Latest News, Features and Photos

MESSENGER Has Imaged 100 Percent of Mercury

MESSENGER’s Mercury Dual Imaging System has finally imaged 100 percent of the planet.

› Read More

MESSENGER Data Provides New Evidence for Ice on Mercury

Papers published in Science Express provide support for the long-held hypothesis that Mercury's permanently shadowed polar craters contain water ice.

› Read More

Mercury's Surprising Core and Landscape Curiosities

MESSENGER reveals new information about Mercury’s topography, the structure of its core, and mysterious polar deposits.

› Read More

NASA Extends MESSENGER Mission

NASA has announced that it will extend the MESSENGER mission.

› Read More

› View Archives

MESSENGER Mission Updates

MESSENGER Completes Its 2,000th Orbit of Mercury, Provides Data on Solar Magnetic Field →

5.24.13 - MESSENGER began its 2,000th orbit around Mercury earlier this week, on May 22. The spacecraft completed its primary mission on March 17, 2012, and its first extended mission on March 17, 2013. The team is awaiting word from NASA on a proposal for a second extended mission. In the meantime, instruments aboard the spacecraft continue to gather new data on Mercury and its environment.
Newly Named Mercury Craters Honor Hawaiian Guitarist, Beloved Young Adult Author →

3.26.13 - The International Astronomical Union (IAU) — the arbiter of planetary and satellite nomenclature since its inception in 1919 — recently approved a proposal from the MESSENGER Science Team to assign names to nine impact craters on Mercury.
MESSENGER Completes Its First Extended Mission at Mercury →

3.18.13 - On March 17, 2013, MESSENGER successfully completed its year-long first extended mission in orbit about Mercury, building on the groundbreaking scientific results from its earlier primary mission.
MESSENGER's Discoveries Tapped as among Top Space Stories of 2012 →

1.4.13 - In 2012, the MESSENGER mission to Mercury completed its primary mission, embarked on an extended mission, saw its images and maps featured on a highly rated television show, sponsored the release of a dedicated app, and celebrated the 8th anniversary of its launch, all the while continuing to produce new findings about the planet closest to the Sun.