The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
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Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko has now passed perihelion (its closest distance to the Sun) and is now spending several weeks at peak activity. This activity is unpredictable so the flight operations team must be prepared to react to fast jets of dust and gas erupting from the comet or stray boulders ejected from its surface.
The film covers how ESA’s European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany, is monitoring the comet’s activity, how quickly the Rosetta spacecraft can respond, and the orbiter’s plans to spiral down towards the surface of the comet at the end of its mission in September 2016.
The A-roll contains footage from ESOC at perihelion and interview clips from Andrea Accomazzo, Rosetta Flight Director, ESA (English) and Paulo Ferri, Head of Mission Operations, ESA (English).