Rosetta

Launch Success

Liftoff Time (GMT)

07:17:00

Tuesday March 2, 2004

Mission Details

Launch Notes

First flight of Ariane 5G+. Flight V160.

Rosetta

Wiki

Rosetta was a space probe built by the European Space Agency launched on 2 March 2004. Along with Philae, its lander module, Rosetta performed a detailed study of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko (67P). During its journey to the comet, the spacecraft flew by Mars and the asteroids 21 Lutetia and 2867 Šteins. It was launched as the third cornerstone mission of the ESA's Horizon 2000 programme, after SOHO / Cluster and XMM-Newton. On 6 August 2014, the spacecraft reached the comet and performed a series of manoeuvres to eventually orbit the comet at distances of 30 to 10 kilometres (19 to 6 mi). On 12 November, its lander module Philae performed the first successful landing on a comet, though its battery power ran out two days later. Communications with Philae were briefly restored in June and July 2015, but due to diminishing solar power, Rosetta's communications module with the lander was turned off on 27 July 2016. On 30 September 2016, the Rosetta spacecraft ended its mission by hard-landing on the comet in its Ma'at region. The probe was named after the Rosetta Stone, a stele of Egyptian origin featuring a decree in three scripts. The lander was named after the Philae obelisk, which bears a bilingual Greek and Egyptian hieroglyphic inscription.

Heliocentric Orbit

1 Payload

3,068 kilograms

Rocket

Retired
Ariane 5 G+

Active in 2004

European Space Agency logo

Manufacturer

ESA

Price

$190.00 million

Rocket

Diameter: 5.4m

Payload to Orbit

GTO: 7,100 kg

Stages

2

Strap-ons

2

Launch Site

ELA-3

Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana, France

Fastest Turnaround

24 days 3 hours

Stats

Ariane 5


18th

Mission

1st

Mission of 2004

European Space Agency


150th

Mission

1st

Mission of 2004

2004


6th

Orbital launch attempt