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Rosetta Spacecraft

Learn more about the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft that arrived at Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko on Aug. 6, 2014.

Related Topics: Comets, Asteroids, Meteors, Shooting Stars and Fireballs, NASA

Latest Updates

A view of the Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko from the Rosetta spacecraft as seen on Aug. 22, 2014.

Comet 67P has the building blocks of life — smells like mothballs and almonds

By Robert Lea published 22 August 22

Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko is richer in organic molecules than scientists thought, which could have implications for how life on Earth began.

Comet 67P, the famous target of the Rosetta mission, has made its closest approach to Earth in November 2021.

Rosetta's 'rubber ducky' comet makes closest approach to Earth, will disappear for 200 years

By Tereza Pultarova published 12 November 21

Comet 67P, which famously hosted the first-ever cometary lander in 2014, made its closest approach to Earth on Friday (Nov. 12).

Under Pressure: Rosetta Comet's Weird Neck Sculpted By Shear Stress

By Elizabeth Howell published 20 February 19

The weird "neck" between the lobes of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko spotted by the Rosetta spacecraft formed in part because the comet had a brittle interior, a new study shows.

That Eerie Green Comet Visible in the Night Sky Now? We Almost Sent a Probe There.

By Meghan Bartels published 17 December 18

Comet's Exotic Terrain Stars in Close-Up View from the Rosetta Probe

By Mike Wall published 8 August 18

If you regard comets as big old dirty snowballs, boringly uniform and featureless, this photo will set you straight.

Now You Can See Every Comet Photo (& More) from Europe's Rosetta Probe. Enjoy!

By Doris Elin Urrutia published 26 June 18

Nearly 100,000 high-resolution images of a comet, two asteroids, Earth and Mars are now all available to the public online.

More Comet Samples Needed to Understand Solar System's History, Scientists Say

By Elizabeth Howell published 29 May 18

More samples of comets are urgently needed to better understand the early history of the solar system, say researchers analyzing comet dust brought back to Earth by NASA’s Stardust mission in 2006.

This clip is made up of 25 minutes worth of images from ESA's Philae lander, and was processed by Twitter user landru79.

The Truth Behind This Amazing Video from the Surface of a Comet

By Rafi Letzter published 25 April 18

A Twitter user managed to turn 25 minutes worth of images from the ESA's comet lander into a dramatic short film.

Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko dust particles

Dust Storm in Space: Rosetta Probe Captured Comet Blizzard (Photo)

By Mike Wall published 22 January 18

The Dragon Titan mission concept, which would send a dual quadcopter to the Saturn moon, is one of two finalists for NASA's next New Frontiers mission to explore the solar system in the mid-2020s.

NASA Shortlists Titan Quadcopter, Comet Sample-Return Concepts for 2020s Mission

By Sarah Lewin published 20 December 17

Comets May Have Delivered Many of Life's Building Blocks to Early Earth

By Mike Wall published 8 June 17

Comet 67P Found to Be Producing Its Own Oxygen in Deep Space

By Nancy Atkinson published 12 May 17

The finding shows that oxygen can be generated in space without the need for life, and could influence how researchers search for signs of life on exoplanets.

Rosetta Spacecraft Deploying Philae Lander on Comet Artist Impression

Rosetta Spacecraft: To Catch a Comet

By Tim Sharp published 28 February 17

Rosetta was a spacecraft launched by the European Space Agency with a 10-year mission to rendezvous with a comet.

Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko Seen by Rosetta Spacecraft

Comet 67P: Target of Rosetta Mission

By Elizabeth Howell published 25 February 17

Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko is a small body visited by the Rosetta spacecraft in the first mission to land on a comet.

Sun Storm May Have Caused Flare-Up of Rosetta's Comet

By Nola Taylor Tillman published 2 December 16

Material from the sun may have caused Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko to flare up nearly 100 times brighter than average in some parts of the visual spectrum, new research reports.

Dusty Avalanches Probably Cause Comet Outbursts

By Mike Wall published 18 October 16

Comet outbursts are likely caused by landslides rather than pressure-based eruptions from the icy bodies' interiors, a new study suggests.

Orbit of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

Birthplace of Rosetta Probe's Comet Pinned Down

By Mike Wall published 18 October 16

Death of a Spacecraft: Bittersweet Mood as Rosetta Crash-Lands on Comet

By Megan Gannon published 30 September 16

Today (Sept. 30) marks the end of operations for the European Space Agency's (ESA) historic Rosetta mission, and the mood felt almost funereal as the postlanding celebration began.