Updated operation and observation plans of BepiColombo/Mio

The ESA-JAXA joint mission BepiColombo is still on the track to Mercury and will be inserted into Mercury orbit in November 2026. It completed all flybys by January 2025 and conducted numerous scientific observations. The Mercury Transfer Module will be first separated in September 2026, followed by insertion into Mercury's orbit in November 2026. Subsequently, the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (Mio) will separate in December 2026, deploying its wire antennas and magnetometer masts. Following initial checkout of the spacecraft bus and scientific instruments, along with test observations, the nominal science phase will start in April 2027. The baseline observation plans for Mio faces thermal constraints during the perihelion season and power constraints during the aphelion season, respectively. Operation planning and updating is progressing to address these limitations. In addition, as available communication time is also limited, we are preparing baseline downlink plans. This presentation will report on the latest status of BepiColombo/Mio and its upcoming operation and observation plans.