BepiColombo: British spacecraft to blast off to Mercury and attempt to solve solar system's mysteries

A British-built spacecraft is about to blast off to Mercury. The BepiColombo ship will fly five billion miles to the planet that is closest to our sun. The scientists behind it hope that it can help solve some of the mysteries that hang over the distant world. It might, for instance, contain water ice, hidden in shadows on its otherwise blazing hot surface, scientists speculate – a discovery that could help shed light on the possibility of alien life in our own solar system. It will also look to explain why the planet has such as huge iron core at its centre, and unlock the history of the vast volcanic vents that shook its surface for billions of years.