Wednesday 6 August 2014 it happened, the comet on track towards the Sun and Rosetta launched ten years ago, met in space, and will now follow each other for more than a year onwards.

This event was marked and fully celebrated at the European Space operation Centre in Darmstadt, Germany (ESOC) the 6 August. ESOC is the centre that has managed the probe through the ten years since launch, and the agency will continue this work to the end of the mission, early in 2016.

At eleven o’clock the insertion manoeuvre began and half an hour later the insertion was confirmed by the operator at ESOC and the ESA Director, General Jean-Jacques Dordain.

The first near pictures of a comet was completely processed and were introduced to the press and the guests that had been invited, three hours later.

Acquiring close-up pictures of a comet is an important event in order to fully understand the universe, thus, this event marks a huge achievement for the European scientists and for ESA that has carried out the project and made it possible.

The Rosetta project has been very long living. From the early beginning until the first results came, more than two decades have passed. Many people who have been directly involved from the original team were no longer working there, new people have emerged; however, some from the original team were still present.

In the following, you will find some pictures from the event, and the first detailed picture of a comet.

In the future the scientific community, and NordicSpace, will get many new pictures from the comet, and much new information and knowledge. However, some of the ideas about the comets may possible be revised in the future.

The place where colleagues met before and after the great event.

Ready to bring out the news

Anxious expectations in the first row.

We can see from left,  Johann.Didrik Wörner, GEO of German Aerospac Centre DLR. talking with

Brigitte Zypries, Parliamentary State Secretary and German Aerospace Coordinator BMWE,

Jean-Jacques Dordain, ESA Director General,

Jean-Yves Le Gall, President Frence Space Agency CNES,

Thomas Reiter, Head of ESOC and ESA Director of Human Spaceflight and Operations

Rosetta has met the comet.

Time for interviews.

The comet shown on the screen in the press room.