ESA Science & Technology - Status Report Archive

Report for week 26 March to 2 AprilPayload commissioning activities continued in the reporting period. The Radio Science Instrument (RSI) commissioning covered the first four passes, followed by the initial activation and commissioning of the MIRO instrument.

Report for week 19 to 26 MarchPayload commissioning activities continued in the reporting period. Three instruments were activated for the first time, ROSINA, ALICE and VIRTIS, and their first slot of commissioning activities successfully completed.

Report for week 12 to 19 MarchSince the last status report there have been two major areas of commissioning activity: for the first five days the focus was on the lander; followed later by the various plasma detection packages on the orbiter.

SummaryIn the reporting period the Rosetta control at ESOC has been moved to the Dedicated Control Room, ground coverage has been reduced to a single ground station (New Norcia, covering about 12 hours per day) and spacecraft and payload commissioning activities have begun.

SummaryThe spacecraft and ground segment continue to operate well. All activities planned for the initial, critical phase after launch have been successfully completed ahead of schedule. In the early morning of 5 March the Mission Control Team at ESOC has moved from the Main Control Room to the Rosetta Dedicated Control Room to commence the...

Launch SummaryAriane 5 Flight 158 lifted off right on-schedule at 07:17:51 UTC on 2 March carrying with it the Rosetta spacecraft on the start of its 10 year journey to comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko.