An unmanned Nasa spacecraft has crashed on the surface of the planet Mercury, after it ran out of fuel following a successful 11-year mission, the US space agency says.
The MESSENGER probe - short for MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging - was the first spacecraft to orbit Mercury, and issued a final farewell on Twitter shortly before its demise at 1926 GMT.
![This artist's rendering provided by NASA shows the Mercury Surface and Messenger spacecraft. Photo / AP](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/UBFJFK4X5KTWOCQXZBEWCU4QYM.jpg?auth=3ebc65a46aec764dddbec4197f27290fb3891722f9efb38743af90be04206f63&width=16&height=9&quality=70&smart=true)
"Well, I guess it's time to say goodbye to all my friends, family, support team. I will be making my final impact very soon."
Shortly after, the official @MESSENGER2011 Twitter account posted another image of Mercury's surface, with the caption: "MESSENGER's LAST ACT? THAT'S SMASHING!"