Spaceflightpedia
Chapter 3 of 3 · 30. 9. 2016

Perihelion and controlled impact

Rosetta

03 / 03

Rosetta escorted the comet past the Sun and ended its mission by descending onto the nucleus.

The comet passed perihelion on 13 August 2015, with Rosetta monitoring its activity throughout [1, 7]. As both moved away from the Sun and power dwindled, ESA set the spacecraft on a collision course with a final manoeuvre on 29 September 2016 [7].

Rosetta touched down at 10:39:34 UTC on 30 September 2016, 33 m from its target in the Ma’at region; ESOC registered the loss of signal at 11:19:37 GMT [8].

Back to Rosetta

sourcesESA: Rosetta factsheet · ESA: Rosetta – Frequently asked questions · ESA Science & Technology: Rosetta status report no. 1 – Rosetta in good health — full list on Rosetta