Rosetta and Philae
First spacecraft to orbit and land on a comet.
The mission performed a detailed study of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, achieving the first orbit of a comet and the first soft landing on a comet nucleus, providing unprecedented insights into cometary composition and the early Solar System.
- field
- Space exploration, cometary science
- nationality
- European Space Agency
- known_for
- First spacecraft to orbit a comet; first soft landing on a comet nucleus
Reader's Guide
It achieved many historic firsts: it was the first spacecraft to orbit a comet nucleus, the first to fly alongside a comet as it headed towards the inner Solar System, and the first to examine at close proximity the activity of a frozen comet as it is warmed by the Sun. The Philae lander obtained the first images from a comet's surface and made the first on-site analysis of its composition. The mission's name was inspired by the Rosetta Stone, reflecting the hope that the spacecraft would help decipher the early Solar System, much as the stone helped decipher Egyptian hieroglyphs. Its legacy includes a detailed study of a comet that continues to inform understanding of cometary composition and Solar System formation.
Did You Know?
- Rosetta was the first spacecraft to orbit a comet nucleus.
- The total cost of the mission was about €1.3 billion (US$1.8 billion).
More in Space Missions 1-22
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