Artist impression of  Rosetta approaching comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The comet image was taken on 2 August 2014 by the spacecraft's navigation camera at a distance of about 500 km. Credits: Spacecraft: ESA/ATG medialab; Comet: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM

Artist impression of Rosetta approaching comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. 
Credits: Spacecraft: ESA/ATG medialab; Comet: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM

The second Go/NoGo, comprising two steps, confirms that:

  • Commands to control separation and delivery are now complete and ready. That is, the Flight Dynamics Team at ESOC have prepared the final instructions to be uploaded to Rosetta to command the delivery operations on board.
  • The Flight Control Team at ESOC have checked and verified the overall health of the spacecraft, ensuring it is ready to perform.
  • The next expected Go/NoGo – confirming that Philae is ready for separation – will be delayed until about 02:35 GMT/03:35 CET

The GO was given at 00:00 GMT/ 01:00 CET.