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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A summary of Rosetta’s journey – from its launch on 2 March 2004 - to the planned landing on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on 12 November 2014. The A-roll film includes the spacecraft’s four gravitational assists from Mars and the Earth, flybys with asteroids Steins and Lutetia, its temporary hibernation and successful wake up on 20 January 2014.
In May Rosetta put on the brakes and performed rendezvous manoeuvres for several months. During this period, images from the onboard cameras revealed the comet’s unusual ‘space duck’ shape.
Rosetta arrived at its destination on 6 August and became the first spacecraft to orbit a comet. The primary landing site was announced in September and Rosetta is now on schedule to release its Philae lander onto the comet’s surface in November.
The B-roll contains animations of Rosetta’s journey, its flybys and of the spacecraft catching up with the comet, as well as stills of comet 67P and asteroids Steins and Lutetia. There are also exterior shots of the European Spacecraft Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany and the ‘wake up Rosetta’ event in January.