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
Go to topicThank you for liking
You have already liked this page, you can only like it once!
After successfully waking up on January 20th, the Rosetta spacecraft is now preparing for its rendezvous with comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. This video is a status update for this adventurous and challenging comet-chasing mission.
Between now and May, Rosetta will start slowing down. As the first camera images will help improve calculations of the comet’s position, orbit, size, shape and rotation, the team will initially try and avoid any comet dust. Rosetta will then be another step close to becoming the first spacecraft to fly alongside and orbit a comet, as well as the first mission to make a controlled landing onto a comet’s surface.
The video includes interviews in English with: Andrea Accomazzo, Spacecraft Operations Manager, ESA ; Paolo Ferri, Head of Mission Operations, ESA; Armelle Hubault, Spacecraft Operations Engineer, ESA ; Jean-Jacques Dordain, Director General, ESA ; Matt Taylor, Project Scientist, ESA.