A British-built spacecraft will set off for Mercury this week in a mission which could finally determine if the nearest planet to the Sun has water.

BepiColombo, one of the most ambitious missions ever undertaken by the European Space Agency (ESA), will send two orbiters to explore the fiery world where surface temperatures reach 842F (450C).

One of the probes was built by Airbus in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, and the second was constructed in Japan.

Only two spacecraft have been to Mercury up to now, Nasa’s Mariner 10 which flew past in 1974 and 1975 and Nasa’s Messenger which orbited the planet between 2011 and 2015.

It is hoped the expedition will answer questions raised by the previous missions such as whether the planet holds water. Despite being perilously close to the Sun, the tilt of planet means some areas are permanently in shade and temperatures can fall to -292F (-180C), allowing ice to form.