Rosetta To Receive A Mighty, Mighty Push

The Earth’s gravity is going to be used to give Rosetta an exact boost in order for the comet chasing satellite to reach its ultimate destination. The European Space Agency’s (ESA) space vehicle will approach its close encounter with Earth, for the second time, on November 13th. This is the third major event on the satellites 10 year trip to 67/P Churyumov-Gerasimenko (say that quickly 3x in a row). Currently, the spacecraft is on the correct trajectory to take advantage of the energy necessary, as supplied by the Earth’s gravity, to ensure fuel savings on its journey.





Rosetta is going to zip past Earth at approximately 45,000 km/h at a distance of 5301 km above the Pacific ocean, southwest of Chile, at 63o 46’ S and 74o 35’ W. Earth swing-bys modify a spacecraft’s trajectory through the use of gravitational attraction, enriching the satellite with the orbital energy required to reach the target. This second push by Earth for Rosetta will assist in the satellite moving through the asteroid belt for the second time. Observations of Lutetia, the craft’s second target asteroid, will take place with the final target rendezvous expected in 2014.