Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Rosetta
Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics
Images & Videos
Witness the landing of the ESA's Philae space probe on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, the first spacecraft to land on a comet
first photograph taken on a comet's surface Rosetta spacecraft Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko photographed by Rosetta spacecraft Asteroid Lutetia
Explaining the smelly secrets of outer space
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites

Rosetta

European Space Agency spacecraft
Written by
Dave Dooling
Education and Public Outreach Officer, National Solar Observatory, Sacramento Peak, New Mexico. Coauthor of Engineering Tomorrow.
Dave Dooling
Fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
History

Rosetta, European Space Agency spacecraft that carried Philae, the first space probe to land on a comet. Rosetta was launched on March 2, 2004, by an Ariane 5 rocket from Kourou, French Guiana, on a 10-year mission to Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The expectation was that, like the Rosetta Stone, the craft would help decode ancient history—in this case, the history of the solar system. Rosetta’s 654-million-km (406-million-mile) cruise involved three gravity-assisted flybys of Earth (in 2005,...

Discover the world with Britannica

Subscribe to Continue Reading

Free Trial | No Ads | Exclusive Content
Explore Subscriptions
DNA
Right
Mobile