Rosetta is a space probe which was launched in 2004 by the European Space Agency (ESA) to study the comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. It is named after the Rosetta Stone, an ancient Egyptian artifact that helped scholars decipher hieroglyphics.

Mission

The mission of Rosetta was to study the comet in detail, including its composition, structure, and behavior. It was also designed to land a small probe, called Philae, on the surface of the comet to study it up close.

Launch and Journey

Rosetta was launched on March 2, 2004, on an Ariane 5 rocket from the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana. It took ten years for the spacecraft to reach its destination, traveling over 6 billion kilometers (3.7 billion miles) through the Solar System.

Arrival and Comet Study

Rosetta arrived at comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko on August 6, 2014, becoming the first spacecraft to orbit a comet. It spent over two years studying the comet and sending back data to Earth.

Philae Landing

On November 12, 2014, Rosetta successfully landed Philae on the surface of the comet. Philae was able to study the comet's composition and behavior up close, but it had some technical difficulties and was unable to operate for long.

End of Mission

The Rosetta mission came to an end on September 30, 2016, when the spacecraft was deliberately crashed into the comet's surface. This was done to gather data about the composition of the comet's interior and to prevent the spacecraft from potentially colliding with and contaminating other celestial bodies.

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