The probe will reach its target next year, mission controllers say

Dec 10, 2013 19:21 GMT  ·  By

The European Space Agency (ESA) is currently getting ready to resurrect its Rosetta robotic spacecraft, which has been flying through the solar system on its way to meet up with a comet for about a decade. 

The space probe is currently scheduled to wake up at precisely 10:00 GMT (11:00 CET) on January 20, 2014, ahead of an August 2014 rendezvous with comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. The spacecraft is currently flying near the orbit of Jupiter.

The most important aspect of this reawakening is the fact that the probe has to warm itself up after 31 months spent in hibernation. Several hours later, another critical moment in the mission will be reestablishing contact with mission controllers, and it should re-establish communication with Earth several hours later.

Rosetta is a comet orbiter and lander. Its main purpose is to enter orbit around comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko and then use its onboard scientific instruments to conduct measurements of the object. The spacecraft will also deploy the Philae robotic lander, which features an additional 9 instruments.

The mission was launched into space aboard an Ariane 5G+ heavy-lift delivery system on March 2, 2004, from the Kourou Spaceport in French Guiana, South America. Takeoff occurred at 7:17 GMT.

During its 9 years and 9 months in space, Rosetta has carried out flybys of Earth, Mars, and the main belt asteroids 2867 Šteins and 21 Lutetia. Once it reaches its destination, the probe will spend around 17 months investigating the comet.

To celebrate the upcoming milestones in the mission, ESA is inaugurating the ‘Wake Up Rosetta’ campaign, where participants around the world can post video shout-outs on YouTube, Facebook, and other social media channels to encourage the spacecraft to wake up from its slumber.

“In a competition that opens today, ESA invites you to mark this important milestone in the Rosetta mission by sharing a video clip of you shouting 'Wake up, Rosetta!' You can upload your video clip and share it with the world via ESA’s dedicated Facebook page,” the space agency says in a statement.

“Be creative and imaginative – you can include friends, family, colleagues, members of your team, social clubs, and school groups, or even put together a flash mob to create a memorable video shout,” the statement further reads.