Among the most fascinating projects in the exploration of the Universe is the European Space Agency’s Rosetta mission, to investigate the comet 67P/Churyumov Gerasimenko. For the first time, a spacecraft will follow a comet as it approaches the Sun and land on its nucleus.

As preparation for the Rosetta mission, Hubble Space Telescope pictures taken on 12 March 2003 were closely analyzed. An overall 3D model was constructed and computer generated images created.
Rosetta was launched on 2 March 2004 on an Ariane 5 rocket and reached the comet on 6 August 2014, becoming the first spacecraft to orbit a comet. (Previous missions had conducted successful flybys of seven other comets.) It is part of the ESA Horizon 2000 cornerstone missions.

The spacecraft consists of two main elements: the Rosetta space probe orbiter, which features 12 instruments, and the Philae robotic lander, with an additional nine instruments. The Rosetta mission will orbit 67P/C G for 17 months and is designed to complete the most detailed study of a comet ever attempted. The mission is controlled from the European Space Operations Center (ESOC), in Darmstadt, Germany.