BepiColombo spacecraft launches on mission to Mercury

Experts say planet could offer new insights into how solar system formed

A British-built spacecraft fitted with Star Trek-style "impulse engines" is on its way to Mercury, the planet closest to the sun.

BepiColombo blasted into space from the European space port at Kourou, French Guiana, at about 2.45am UK time on Saturday. It was carried on top of an Ariane 5, the European Space Agency's (ESA's) most powerful rocket.