LIVE STREAM: ESA’s Rosetta Successfully ‘Wakes Up’

By  //  January 20, 2014

ESA.int – European Space Agency’s comet-chasing spacecraft Rosetta woke up from 31 months of deep space slumber today. Above, ESA is streaming live from ESOC, Darmstadt, Germany, with full coverage of the day’s historic events as they unfold.

Rosetta’s computer is programmed to re-establish contact with Earth today, starting with an ‘alarm clock’ at 5 a.m. EST. Immediately afterwards, the spacecraft’s startrackers will begin to warm up, taking around six hours.

Rosetta will then send a signal to Earth to announce that it is awake. The first window of opportunity to receive a signal is between 11:30-12:30 EST.

CLICK HERE for more about Rosetta