More than fourteen years ago, the Rosetta space probe along with its lander module was launched to encounter comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in August 2014. On 12 November 2014, the lander Philae performed the first successful landing on a comet recording numerous unique in situ data. Over the last two years Rosetta’s orbiter was escorting the comet during its journey through the Solar system. With its ten main scientific instruments it acquired an enormous amount of data enabling us a deeper insight into crucial cometary processes, a better understanding of the Solar system’s pristine matter, and thus studies of its early state. The end of the mission in September 2016 is going to be its last highlight when the Rosetta orbiter will land on the cometary surface. This paper gives an overview about key achievements of the mission. It introduces the scientific payload, summarizes outstanding results, and discusses prospects for cometary science.
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