Comparative Analysis of Magnetic Field Observations during BepiColombo Mercury Flybys

The BepiColombo mission, a collaboration between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), aims to explore Mercury and its space environment. This mission is the first multi-spacecraft endeavor beyond Earth, comprising the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO), managed by ESA, and Mio, led by JAXA. Launched in 2018, BepiColombo is still in cruise phase and recently completed its sixth and final swing-by maneuver at Mercury before its arrival in December 2026. This study provides a comparative analysis of magnetic field observations during the mission's Mercury flybys, utilizing data from the Magnetometer (MGF) onboard the Mio spacecraft. We aim to characterize the observed space environment and solar wind conditions for each flyby. The distinct flyby trajectories enable the exploration of extended regions around Mercury, encompassing the distant magnetotail, bow shock, and both hemispheres along the terminator. These observations provide valuable insights into the magnetospheric and solar wind conditions during each of the six flybys, significantly enhancing our understanding of the dynamic behavior of the solar wind in the inner heliosphere and the complex structure of Mercury's magnetosphere.