Rosetta spacecraft is closing in on comet 67P/C-G

ESA’s Rosetta spacecraft is on track to pull up and park next to comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko (67P/C-G) in 49 days.

Rosetta did its last big thruster burn on June 18 to continue to fine-tune its orbit around the comet. The spacecraft still has another 194,000 kilometers to go, but so far, the complex maneuvers to stalk the comet have gone without a hitch. Some of the spacecraft’s instruments have also begun to send data back to Earth, giving scientists a chance to gear up for Rosetta’s arrival at comet 67P/C-G in August.

If the mission continues as planned, Rosetta will become the first spacecraft to ride along side and land a probe on the core of a comet.