Small-body mission · ESA

Rosetta

ESA's landmark comet mission — the first to orbit a comet nucleus and, via its Philae lander, the first to soft-land on one. It escorted comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko through perihelion for two years before its own controlled descent to the surface in 2016.

CompletedOrbiter Mission Rendezvous Mission Lander Mission

This is the small-body-missions view of Rosetta. See its main mission page for the full profile.

Targets & sample

Target bodies:67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko

Mission & science

Goals: Rendezvous with and orbit a comet, deploy a lander, and follow the nucleus through its active perihelion passage.
Engineering milestones: First comet orbiter; deployed the Philae lander (2014); ended with a controlled descent to 67P (2016).
Science discoveries: Mapped 67P's bilobed nucleus; measured a D/H ratio unlike Earth's oceans; detected molecular oxygen, glycine, and phosphorus.
Outcome: Complete success; a defining comet mission.

Knowledge connections

Target of67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko
Operated byESA
Launched byAriane 5
Launched fromGuiana Space Centre
Mission target67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko
Mission includesPhilae
Visited67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko
Member of groupOrbiter Mission
Member of groupRendezvous Mission
Member of groupLander Mission
Orbited67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko
Associated withApproach & Characterization
Tracked byESTRACK
Associated withRosetta and Philae Reach a Comet
Associated withFirst Comet Landing

Sources

Facts on this topic will be cited from these primary and reference sources.

ESAEuropean Space Agency
European missions, observatories, and space science imagery.
NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.

Loading…

Rosetta

Mission & science

Goals

Rendezvous with and orbit a comet, deploy a lander, and follow the nucleus through its active perihelion passage.

Engineering milestones

First comet orbiter; deployed the Philae lander (2014); ended with a controlled descent to 67P (2016).

Science discoveries

Mapped 67P's bilobed nucleus; measured a D/H ratio unlike Earth's oceans; detected molecular oxygen, glycine, and phosphorus.

Outcome

Complete success; a defining comet mission.

Sources

Facts on this topic will be cited from these primary and reference sources.

ESAEuropean Space Agency

European missions, observatories, and space science imagery.

NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration

Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.

Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.