22 November 2002 Rosetta’s 10 year expedition will begin in January 2003, with an Ariane-5 launch from Kourou in French Guiana. The three-tonne spacecraft will first be inserted into a parking orbit, before being sent on its way towards the outer Solar System.
Rosetta’s deep space odyssey will comprise lengthy periods of inactivity, punctuated by relatively short spells of intense activity – the encounters with Mars, Earth and two asteroids. Ensuring that the spacecraft survives the hazards of travelling through deep space for more than 10 years is therefore one of the great challenges of the Rosetta mission.
22 November 2002 Rosetta’s 10 year expedition will begin in January 2003, with an Ariane-5 launch from Kourou in French Guiana. The three-tonne spacecraft will first be inserted into a parking orbit, before being sent on its way towards the outer Solar System.
3- Mars Flyby (26 August 2005): Rosetta flies past Mars at a distance of about 200 km, obtaining some science observations. An eclipse of the Earth by Mars lasts for about 37 minutes, causing a communications blackout.
22 November 2002 Rosetta’s 10 year expedition will begin in January 2003, with an Ariane-5 launch from Kourou in French Guiana. The three-tonne spacecraft will first be inserted into a parking orbit, before being sent on its way towards the outer Solar System.
4- First Earth Flyby (28 November 2005): Rosetta remains active during the cruise to Earth. The flyby distance is about 4500 km. Operations mainly involve tracking and orbit determination. Orbit-correction manoeuvres take place before and after the flyby.
22 November 2002 Rosetta’s 10 year expedition will begin in January 2003, with an Ariane-5 launch from Kourou in French Guiana. The three-tonne spacecraft will first be inserted into a parking orbit, before being sent on its way towards the outer Solar System.
5- Otawara Flyby (11 July 2006): The spacecraft goes into passive cruise mode on the way to asteroid Otawara. Rosetta observes the tiny asteroid from a distance of about 2200 km. Science data recorded onboard are transmitted to Earth after the flyby.
22 November 2002 Rosetta’s 10 year expedition will begin in January 2003, with an Ariane-5 launch from Kourou in French Guiana. The three-tonne spacecraft will first be inserted into a parking orbit, before being sent on its way towards the outer Solar System.
6- Second Earth Flyby (28 November 2007): The spacecraft is once again in passive cruise mode prior to the second Earth gravity assist. This time, Rosetta passes about 1370 km above our planet. Operations are similar to those during the first Earth flyby.
22 November 2002 Rosetta’s 10 year expedition will begin in January 2003, with an Ariane-5 launch from Kourou in French Guiana. The three-tonne spacecraft will first be inserted into a parking orbit, before being sent on its way towards the outer Solar System.
7- Siwa Flyby (24 July 2008): Once again, the spacecraft is put back into passive cruise mode on its way to the large asteroid Siwa. Flyby operations are similar to the Otawara flyby, although at a greater distance (about 3500 km).
22 November 2002 Rosetta’s 10 year expedition will begin in January 2003, with an Ariane-5 launch from Kourou in French Guiana. The three-tonne spacecraft will first be inserted into a parking orbit, before being sent on its way towards the outer Solar System.
8- Deep Space Hibernation and Comet Rendezvous (June 2009 – November 2011): After a large deep-space manoeuvre, the spacecraft goes into hibernation. During this period, Rosetta records its maximum distances from the Sun (about 800 million km) and Earth (about 1 billion km). The spacecraft is reactivated prior to the comet-rendezvous manoeuvre, during which the thrusters fire for several hours to slow the relative drift rate of the spacecraft and comet to about 25 m/s.
