MESSENGER carries seven scientific instruments and a radio science experiment to accomplish an ambitious objective: return the first data from Mercury orbit. The miniaturized payload – designed to work in the extreme environment near the Sun – will image all of Mercury for the first time, as well as gather data on the composition and structure of Mercury’s crust, its geologic history, the nature of its active magnetosphere and thin atmosphere, and the makeup of its core and the materials near its poles.

Get a general overview of MESSENGER's science payload instruments, or learn about each instrument in detail from the list on the right.