The BepiColombo Laser Altimeter (BELA) is the first European laser altimeter constructed for interplanetary flight. BELA uses a 50 mJ pulsed Nd:YAG laser operating at 10 Hz with a 20 cm aperture receiver to perform the ranging. The instrument also uses a digital approach for range detection and pulse analysis. The ranging accuracy is expected to be better than 2 metres and ∼20 cm in optimum conditions. With the given, only slightly elliptical, orbit, BELA should return a consistent data set for the most if not all of the planet. The instrument is required to function in an extreme environment with the thermal issues being particularly demanding. Novel solutions have been taken to resolve these issues. BELA is described in detail and its predicted performance outlined on the basis of pre-flight testing.

BepiColombo激光测高仪（BELA）是首个为行星际飞行而设计的欧洲激光测高仪。BELA使用工作在10 Hz的50 mJ脉冲Nd：YAG激光器和20 cm孔径的接收器来执行测距。该仪器还使用数字方法进行范围检测和脉冲分析。在最佳条件下，测距精度有望优于2米和20 cm。对于给定的，仅略微椭圆形的轨道，BELA应该为大部分（如果不是全部）行星返回一致的数据集。要求仪器在极端环境下工作，对散热的要求特别高。已经采用新颖的解决方案来解决这些问题。在飞行前测试的基础上详细描述了BELA，并概述了其预期性能。