ESA - Rosetta - The Rosetta space probe’s long trek to Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

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The long trek Debris of the Solar System: Asteroids Asteroid (2867) Steins: a portrait Life and survival in deep space Long-distance communication The Rosetta ground segment

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The Rosetta space probe’s long trek to Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

3 February 2004

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Rosetta orbiter 'swoops' over the Philae lander soon after its touchdown on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

Credits: Astrium - E. Viktor

Launch in February 2004

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An artist’s impression of Rosetta orbiting Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

Rosetta’s 11-year expedition began in March 2004, with an Ariane 5 launch from Kourou in French Guiana, and the spacecraft was then sent on its way towards the outer Solar System. The long journey includes three gravity assists at Earth (2004, 2007, 2009), one at Mars (2007), and two asteroid encounters: (2867) Steins (2008) and (21) Lutetia (2010).

Rosetta will reach the comet in 2014, and will be the first mission ever to orbit a comet’s nucleus and to deliver a lander, called Philae, on its surface.

Credits: ESA, image by AOES Medialab

Link-up in 2014

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An artist’s impression of the Philae lander descending onto the nucleus of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. While Rosetta studies the comet from close orbit, the lander Philae will obtain measurements from the nucleus surface.

Immediately after touchdown in November 2014, a harpoon will be fired to anchor the lander to the ground and prevent it escaping from the comet’s extremely weak gravity. The minimum targeted mission time for Philae is one week, but surface operations may continue for many months. The measurements from the Rosetta orbiter will last from August 2014 to the end of 2015.

Credits: ESA, image by AOES Medialab

About Rosetta

Rosetta Rosetta at a glance

Rosetta – a new target to solve planetary mysteries