The Rosetta mission is an interplanetary mission whose main objective is to rendezvous with and make measurements of comet 46 P/Wirtanen, in August 2012. The spacecraft will also carry the Rosetta Lander (Surface Science Package) to the nucleus and deploy it onto the comet's surface. On its eight-year journey to the comet, the spacecraft will pass close to two asteroids, (Otawara and Siwa are now the planned targets. The long mission duration required the introduction of extended hibernation periods.
			Named after the Rosetta Stone, Incomplete stella of black basalt, a sample of Egyptian Hieroglyphs from Ptolemaic Period, 196 BC. It was used by Jean Francois Champollion who in 1822 successfully laid the foundations of our knowledge of the ancient Egyptian language.
	Type		3-axis stabilized spacecraft with better than mm/sec relative velocity accuracy for manoeuvring in the vicinity of the comet. It consists of two main modules (Payload Support Module and Bus Support Module). The Lander is attached to the face opposite the two-axes steerable high-gain antenna.
	Mass		The total launch mass of the spacecraft is 2 900 kg, including 1 578 kg of propellant, about 150 kg of scientific payload, plus 90 kg for the Lander.
	Size		Box-type central structure, 2.8 m x 2.1 m x 2.0 m; span with solar array deployed of about 32 m
(Rosetta Orbiter)	ALICE		Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer analyses gases in the coma and tail and provides information on the surface composition of the nucleus. Dr. Alan Stern, Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, Colorado
	CONSERT		Comet Nucleus Sounding Experiment by Radiowave Transmission probes the comet's interior by measuring radio waves that are reflected and scattered by the nucleus. Ecole Nationale Superieure d'Ingenieurs, CNRS, Grenoble, France
	COSIMA		Cometary Secondary Ion Mass Analyser will study characteristics of dust grains emitted by the comet, including their composition and whether they are organic or inorganic. Dr. Jochen Kissel, Max-Planck-Institut fur Extraterrestrische Physik, Garching, Germany
	GIADA		Grain Impact Analyser and Dust Accumulator Measures the number, mass, momentum and velocity distribution of dust grains coming from the nucleus. Prof. Luigi Colangeli, Osservatorio Astronomico di Capodimonte, Naples, Italy
	MIDAS		Micro-Imaging Dust Analysis System provides the information about the dust particles population, size, volume and shape around the asteroids and comet. Prof. Willi Riedler, Space Research Institute, Graz, Austria
	MIRO		Microwave Instrument for the Rosetta Orbiter will be used to determine the abundances of major gases, the surface outgassing rate and the nucleus sub-surface temperature. Dr. Samuel Gulkis, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Pasadena, California
	OSIRIS		Optical, Spectroscopic, and Infrared Remote Imaging System is a camera to obtain high resolution images of the comet's nucleus and asteroids Siwa and Otawara. Dr. Horst Uwe Keller, Max-Planck-Institut fur Aeronomie, Katlenburg Lindau, Germany
	ROSINA		Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis will make determination and studying the composition of the comet's atmosphere and ionosphere. Prof. Hans Balsiger, University of Bern, Switzerland
	RPC		Rosetta Plasma Consortium measure the physical properties of the nucleus; examine the structure of the inner coma; monitor cometary activity; and study the comet's interaction with the solar wind. Dr. Rolf Bostrom, Swedish Inst. of Space Physics, Uppsala, Sweden, Dr. James Burch, Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, Prof. Karl-Heinz Glassmeier, Technische Universitat, Braunschweig, Germany, Prof. Rickard Lundin, Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Kiruna, Sweden, Dr. Jean-Gabriel Trotignon LPCE/CNRS, Orleans, France
	RSI		Radio Science Investigation use shifts in the spacecraft's radio signals to measure the mass, density and gravity of the asteroids and comet's nucleus; define the comet's orbit; and study the inner coma. Dr. Martin Patzold, Universitat Koln, Germany
	VIRTIS		Visible and Infrared Thermal Imaging Spectrometer maps and studies the nature of the solids and the temperature on the surface of the nucleus. Also identifies comet gases, characterises the physical conditions of the coma and helps to identify the best landing sites. Dr. Angioletta Coradini, Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale, CNR, Rome, Italy
(Rosetta Lander)	APXS		Alpha Proton X-ray Spectrometer detects alpha particles and X-rays which provide information on the elemental composition of the comet's surface. Dr. Rudolf Rieder, Max-Planck-Institut fur Chemie, Mainz, Germany
	CIVA		Micro-cameras take panoramic pictures of the surface. A spectrometer studies the composition, texture and albedo (reflectivity) of samples collected from the surface. Dr. Jean-Pierre Bibring, Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, Universite Paris Sud, Orsay, France
	CONSERT		Comet Nucleus Sounding Experiment by Radiowave Transmission probes the internal structure of the nucleus. Radio waves from the CONSERT experiment on the Orbiter travel through the nucleus and are returned by a transponder on the Lander. Prof. Wlodek Kofman, Laboratoire de Planetologie, Grenoble, France
	COSAC		Cometary Sampling and Composition experiment is a gas analyser to detect and to identify complex organic molecules from their elemental and molecular composition. Dr. Helmut Rosenbauer, Max-Planck-Institut fur Aeronomie, Lindau, Germany
	MODULUS Ptolemy		Gas analyser which obtains accurate measurements of isotopic ratios of light elements. Dr. Ian Wright, Open University, Milton Keynes, UK
	MUPUS		Multi-Purpose Sensors for Surface and Sub-surface Science measures the density, thermal and mechanical properties of the surface. Dr. Tilman Spohn, Universitat Munster, Germany
	ROLIS		Rosetta Lander Imaging System is a CCD camera to obtain high resolution images during descent and stereo panoramic images of areas sampled by other instruments. Dr. Stefano Mottola, DLR, Berlin, Germany
	ROMAP		Rosetta Lander Magnetometer and Plasma Monitor study the local magnetic field and the interaction of the comet with solar wind. Dr. Hans-Ulrich Auster, Technische Universitat, Braunschweig, Germany
	SD2		Sampling, Drilling and Distribution Subsystem destined for the drilling and sample retrieval. Dr. A. Ercoli-Finzi, Politecnico of Milan, Italy
	SESAME		Surface Electrical, Seismic and Acoustic Monitoring Experiments measure properties of the comet's outer layers. By studying the way sound travels through the surface. Dr. Dietrich Mohlmann, DLR, Cologne, Germany, Dr. Harri Laakso, Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, Finland, Dr. Istvan Apathy, KFKI, Budapest, Hungary
	Date		Kourou, French Guiana, January 2003
	Vehicle		Ariane-5
			To reach its target, Rosetta will be required one Mars and two Earth gravity assist maneuvers. The mission falls into several distinct phases: Mars gravity assist: 26 August 2005 First Earth gravity assist: 21 November 2005 Otawara flyby: 11 July 2006 Second Earth gravity assist: 28 November 2007 Siwa flyby: 24 July 2008 Rendezvous manoeuvre: 29 November 2011
			Nominal spacecraft lifetime is 11 years in heliocentric trajectory. Rosetta will be controlled by by the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC, Darmstadt Germany) using ESA 34 m ground station in Perth and ESA 15 m ground station in Kourou.