Rosetta’s orbiter

The Rosetta Orbiter swoops over the Lander soon after touchdown on the nucleus of Comet 46P/Wirtanen.

Rosetta will be launched in January 2003 by an Ariane-5 from Kourou, French Guiana. To gain enough orbital energy to reach its target, one Mars and two Earth gravity assists will be required. The long mission duration required the introduction of extended hibernation periods.

Rosetta will study the nucleus of comet Wirtanen and its environment in great detail for a period of nearly two years, the near-nucleus phase starting at a heliocentric distance of about 3.25 AU, with far-observation activities leading ultimately to close observation (from about one km distance).

photo:Astrium/Erik Viktor