images

The Rosetta spacecraft approaching a comet

by

ESA/AOES Medialab/Novapix

Reference

e-son30-00110

Date

2006-11-26

The ESA Rosetta mission comprises a large orbiter, which is designed to operate for a decade at large distances from the Sun, and a small lander. Each of these carries a large complement of scientific experiments designed to complete the most detailed study of a comet ever attempted. After entering orbit around Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in 2014, the spacecraft will release a small lander onto the icy nucleus, then spend the next two years orbiting the comet as it heads towards the Sun. On the way to Comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko, Rosetta will receive gravity assists from Earth and Mars, and fly past main belt asteroids. Rosetta's 10 year expedition began in March 2004, with an Ariane-5 launch from Kourou in French Guiana.