Giuseppe Colombo was born in Padua where he attended primary and secondary school. In 1944, after graduating from the University of Pisa in Mathematics, he returned to Padua where worked as Assistant and then Associate Professor of Theoretical Mechanics at the University.

In 1955 he became Full Professor of Applied Mechanics and in 1962 the Director of the Institute of Applied Mechanics at the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Padua. During his career he lectured on Mechanical Vibrations and Celestial Mechanics, as well as Space Vehicles and Rockets during his last years.
In addition to his work at the University, he participated in research at the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, then at Caltech and Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Professor Colombo is best known for the discovery of the spin-orbital coupling of Mercury and the planning of multiple fly-by of Mercury in 1972-1973. He promoted the conceptual design of the Solar Probe mission, the Skyhook concept applications, a new type of orbiting gravity gradiometer and gave the interpretation of the azimuthal brightness variation of ring A of Saturn as a spiral structure.

He studied new concepts concerning space transportation, large space structures and evolution of space technology for space sciences and applications.

Professor Colombo was a member of various advisory committees and
National and International Academies and was awarded NASA's Gold Medal for Outstanding Scientific Achievement as well as several other prizes.

He had an important role in promoting space research in the Italian Space Agency (the Space Geodesy Center in Matera has his name), industries and Universities (Padua, Pisa, Torino).
Future ESA's cornerstone mission to Mercury has been named BepiColombo in honour of a space pioneer.