Page 36 - Italy In Space
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Interplanetary Probes [3]
March 2, 2004. Launch of Rosetta, one of ESA's Horizon 2000 cornerstone missions, aimed at
studying the comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. It consists of two main components: the Rosetta
space probe and the Philae lander. Commemorative cover cancelled at Kourou with the special Ariane
5 manual postmark. A special red “Ela-3” rubber stamp was also added.
August 12, 2005. Launch of Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Onboard MRO was embarked «SHARAD»
(SHAllow RADar), the subsurface sounding radar designed and built by Alenia Space with the intent to
map the first kilometer below the Mars surface and to locate water/ice deposits. Commemorative cover
cancelled at Pasadena where is based the Launch Station Mission Control that supported the launch.
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