WATCH: The Rosetta spaceship went on an epic 10 year, 6 billion kilometre journey and finally arrived at its destination. Reporter Eric Sorensen explains how it was done.
TORONTO – After 10 years and 6.4 billion kilometres, the Rosetta spacecraft has finally reached its destination.
Rosetta is now 405 million kilometres from Earth, about halfway between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars, travelling at nearly 55,000 km/h.
GALLERY: Meet Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
Rosetta was launched by the European Space Agency in 2004 toward Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in an effort to study and better understand comets.
In a statement Wednesday, Jean-Jacques Dordain, ESA’s Director General said, “Europe’s Rosetta is now the first spacecraft in history to rendezvous with a comet, a major highlight in exploring our origins. The discoveries can begin.”
READ MORE: Rosetta spacecraft nears ‘rubber ducky’ comet
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Comets are sometimes referred to as “dirty snowballs,” as they are comprised of ice, rock and dust. They orbit the sun and, as they near our star, they heat up and gas and dust blow outward carried by the solar wind, creating a tail.
Comets are believed to possess the building blocks necessary to life and may have played a role in our own planetary evolution, possibly seeding Earth with water. But scientists hope to learn more about comets, their composition and their lives.
Reaching the comet was anything but direct: on its way, Rosetta flew by Earth three times as well as Mars. This was done so that it could use the gravity of both celestial bodies to help speed it up on its way to Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
Rosetta also passed by two asteroids, 2867 Steins in 2008 and 21 Lutetia in 2010.
In June 2011, the spacecraft entered hibernation and was awoken this past January.
The comet is on a six-and-a-half-year elliptical orbit that takes it just beyond Jupiter at its farthest point to between Earth and Mars at its closest.
In November, it will deploy its lander Philae will be deployed to its surface to further study the comet.
Rosetta and the comet will travel together for over a year.
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