Rosetta was sucessfully launched on 2 March 2004 by an Ariane-5 G+ from Kourou, French Guiana.  In order to gain enough orbital energy to reach its target four gravity assists are required: one by Mars and three by Earth. The long mission duration has required the introduction of extended hibernation periods.

The mission falls into several distinct phases:

Rosetta operations are carried out from ESA's Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt. Orbit determination for all mission phases is also performed by ESOC.