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European Space Agency

Press Release

New destination for Rosetta, Europe's comet chaser

29 May 2003
 
Comet-chasing mission Rosetta will now set its sights on Comet
Churyumov-Gerasimenko. During its meeting on 13-14th May 2003, ESA's
Science Programme Committee decided Rosetta's new mission baseline. 
 
The spacecraft will be launched in February 2004 from Kourou, French
Guiana, using an Ariane-5 G+ launcher. The rendezvous with the new
target comet is expected in November 2014. 

The choice of a new comet has required intensive efforts, including
observations by telescopes such as the Hubble Space Telescope and the
ESO Very Large Telescope to ensure we know as much as we can about
the new target. The cost of the Rosetta launch delay is estimated at
round 70 million Euros. The ESA Ministerial Council has resolved the
financial issue by approving financial flexibility at Agency level.

Scientists will now investigate an alternative launch to this comet,
in February 2005, as a back-up plan. Rendezvous with the comet is
expected in November 2014.

Once again, Europe is set to try to do something no-one has ever done
before - to chase and catch a comet.

For more information, please contact:

ESA - Communication Department
Media Relations Office
Paris, France
Tel: +33 (0)1 5369 7155
Fax: +33 (0)1 5369 7690

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