Rosetta (spacecraft)

Rosetta

Artist's illustration of Rosetta
Mission type	Comet orbiter/lander
Operator	ESA
COSPAR ID	2004-006A
SATCAT no.	28169
Website	esa.int/rosetta
Mission duration	Final: 12 years, 6 months, 28 days
Spacecraft properties
Manufacturer	Astrium
Launch mass	Orbiter: 2,900 kg (6,400 lb) Lander: 100 kg (220 lb)
Dry mass	Orbiter: 1,230 kg (2,710 lb)
Payload mass	Orbiter: 165 kg (364 lb) Lander: 27 kg (60 lb)
Dimensions	2.8 × 2.1 × 2 m (9.2 × 6.9 × 6.6 ft)
Power	850 watts at 3.4 AU
Start of mission
Launch date	2 March 2004, 07:17:51 (2004-03-02UTC07:17:51) UTC
Rocket	Ariane 5G+ V-158
Launch site	Kourou ELA-3
Contractor	Arianespace
End of mission
Disposal	Deorbited
Last contact	30 September 2016, 10:39:28 (2016-09-30UTC10:39:29) UTC SCET
Landing site	Sais, Ma'at region 2 years, 55 days of operations at the comet
Flyby of Mars
Closest approach	25 February 2007
Distance	250 km (160 mi)
Flyby of 2867 Šteins
Closest approach	5 September 2008
Distance	800 km (500 mi)
Flyby of 21 Lutetia
Closest approach	10 July 2010
Distance	3,162 km (1,965 mi)
67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko orbiter
Orbital insertion	6 August 2014, 09:06 UTC
Orbit parameters
Periapsis	29 km (18 mi)
Transponders
Band	S band (low gain antenna) X band (high gain antenna)
Bandwidth	from 7.8 bit/s (S band) up to 91 kbit/s (X band)
Instruments ALICE Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer CONSERT Comet Nucleus Sounding Experiment by Radio wave Transmission COSIMA Cometary Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer GIADA Grain Impact Analyser and Dust Accumulator MIDAS Micro-Imaging Dust Analysis System MIRO Microwave Spectrometer for the Rosetta Orbiter OSIRIS Optical, Spectroscopic, and InfraRed Remote Imaging System ROSINA Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis RPC Rosetta Plasma Consortium RSI Radio Science Investigation VIRTIS Visible and Infrared Thermal Imaging Spectrometer
ESA solar system insignia for the Rosetta mission Horizon 2000 ← INTEGRAL Herschel →

ESA solar system insignia for the Rosetta mission

Rosetta was a space probe built by the European Space Agency launched on 2 March 2004. Along with Philae, its lander module, Rosetta performed a detailed study of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko (67P). During its journey to the comet, the spacecraft flew by Mars and the asteroids 21 Lutetia and 2867 Šteins. It was launched as the third cornerstone mission of the ESA's Horizon 2000 programme, after SOHO / Cluster and XMM-Newton.

On 6 August 2014, the spacecraft reached the comet and performed a series of manoeuvres to be captured in its orbit. On 12 November, its lander module Philae performed the first successful landing on a comet, though its battery power ran out two days later. Communications with Philae were briefly restored in June and July 2015, but due to diminishing solar power, Rosetta's communications module with the lander was turned off on 27 July 2016. On 30 September 2016, the Rosetta spacecraft ended its mission by landing on the comet in its Ma'at region.

The probe is named after the Rosetta Stone, a stele of Egyptian origin featuring a decree in three scripts. The lander is named after the Philae obelisk, which bears a bilingual Greek and Egyptian hieroglyphic inscription.