Rosetta begins its trek into space

On Tuesday the 2nd of March, at 8.17 a.m., the Rosetta space probe was launched into space. It has a long, exciting research voyage ahead of it. Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace has delivered components for the space probe.

"Rosetta has been launched and everything seems A-OK so far", comments Aud Fossdal, project manager for Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA), early Tuesday morning. During the day, it was reported that the KDA equipment worked perfectly. KDA delivered the mechanism and electronics that rotate the huge solar panels on the Rosetta mother ship. The panels power the instruments onboard.

The comet chaser The Rosetta space probe is also called a 'comet chaser'. Its trek through the solar system will take 10 years, as it searches for a comet that may provide new knowledge about the enigmatic origin of life. Once the space probe catches Comet 67/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in outer space, it will fly parallel to it for some time. Then the landing craft 'Philae' will be deployed onto the comet. Together, the two craft will perform analyses on the comet as it moves towards the sun.

Postponed launch Lift-off was originally scheduled for Thursday, 26 February, but it had to be scrubbed due to heavy rains and strong wind at the European space centre at Kourou, French Guiana, in South America. The new launch was set for Friday, 27 February, but it had to be postponed again for the same reason.

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