The case for landed Mercury science

In this White Paper, submitted to ESA in response to the Voyage 2050 Call, we advocate for establishing key scientific priorities for the future of Mercury exploration, including the development of specific science goals for a landed mission. We support the Mercury science community in fostering closer collaboration with ongoing and planned exoplanet investigations. The continued exploration of Mercury should be conceived as a multi-mission, multi-generational effort, and the landed exploration of Mercury should be a high scientific priority in the coming decades.