Rosetta (spacecraft)

Rosetta was an ESA space probe. It went on a mission to study the comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. The Rosetta mission had two parts: the Rosetta space probe and the Philae lander. The spacecraft was launched on 2 March 2004 by an Ariane 5 rocket. On 12 November 2014 Philae landed but soon lost electrical power and radio contact. Rosetta continued to examine the comet from orbit until 30 September 2016 when it landed.

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[1]
Start of mission
Launch date	2 March 2004, 07:17:51 (2004-03-02UTC07:17:51) UTC[2]
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[3] 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[4]
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)[5] up to 91 kbit/s (X band)[6]
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
Horizon 2000 ← INTEGRAL Herschel →

References

1. "Rosetta at a glance — technical data and timeline". German Aerospace Center. Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
2. "No. 1 - Rosetta in Good Health". Status Reports. European Space Agency. 4 March 2004. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
3. Baldwin, Emily (3 October 2016). "Rosetta impact site named Sais". European Space Agency. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
4. "Rosetta timeline: countdown to comet arrival". European Space Agency. 5 August 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
5. "No. 2 — Activating Rosetta". European Space Agency. 8 March 2004. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
6. "We are working on flight control and science operations for Rosetta, now orbiting comet 67P, and Philae, which landed on the comet surface last week. Ask us Anything! AMA!". Reddit. 20 November 2014. Retrieved 21 November 2014.