Media and interested members of the public are invited to join Rosetta mission experts online on Friday, 7 November for a briefing ahead of the historic comet landing on 12 November.
Rosetta arrived at comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on 6 August 2014. Now it will make the most detailed study of a comet ever attempted. It will follow the comet on its journey through the inner Solar System, measuring the increase in activity as the icy surface is warmed up by the Sun. The lander will focus on the composition and structure of the comet nucleus material. It will also drill more than 20 cm into the subsurface to collect samples for inspection by the lander's onboard laboratory.
ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti's Futura mission as part of Expedition 42/43, staying for six months on the International Space Station between November 2014 and May 2015. The mission is provided by Italy’s ASI space agency.