The BepiColombo mission, a collaborative project between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), is nearing the end of its long journey to Mercury, the smallest and innermost planet in our solar system. Launched in 2018, the mission has used a combination of gravitational assists from other planets and solar-electric propulsion to gradually approach Mercury. The spacecraft includes the Mercury Transfer Module (MTM), which carried the two orbiters, ESA's Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and JAXA's Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (Mio). Once at Mercury, each orbiter will operate independently in separate orbits to study different aspects of the planet. A key instrument aboard the MPO is the laser altimeter BELA, which is the heaviest and most complex scientific tool on the spacecraft. Designed and built at the University of Bern in Switzerland, BELA was activated for the first time in space on September 14, 2026. This activation marked a significant step toward the mission's scientific phase. BELA had been aboard the spacecraft since 2016 and was now being tested after an eight-year journey through space. The activation of BELA was conducted in a series of carefully planned steps. The team first sent a 10-second burst of infrared laser pulses into space, confirming that the instrument was functioning as expected. After receiving data from the first test, they repeated the sequence and then extended the laser operation to 10 minutes. Only after these tests were successful did they run the laser for over an hour, ensuring its reliability and confirming that its temperature remained within safe limits. BELA's primary goal is to map Mercury's surface in extraordinary detail, creating a three-dimensional model of the planet's shape, topography, and surface features. Antoine Pommerol, a researcher at the University of Bern and co-principal investigator for BELA, noted that the instrument will provide the most accurate representation of Mercury's surface to date. This data will help scientists better understand the planet's geological history and its interactions with the sun. The next major step in the mission will occur on December 9, 2026, when JAXA's Mio will be deployed into its designated orbit. Additional maneuvers will follow to prepare ESA's MPO for its science orbit, which is expected to be reached in March 2027. On April 6, 2027, the BepiColombo mission will officially begin its science phase. After more than eight years of travel, the mission will start collecting detailed data about Mercury, offering scientists a unique opportunity to study the planet that is closest to the sun.