The mission was designed to clear up six key issues: Mercury's high density, its geological history, the nature of its magnetic field, the structure of its core, whether it has ice at its poles, and where its tenuous atmosphere comes from.
Missionen er designet til at samle information om seks nøgleemner: Merkurs høje densitet, dens geologiske historie, oprindelsen til dens magnetiske felt, strukturen af dens kerne, om den har is ved polerne og hvor dens svage atmosfære kommer fra.