Giotto
Giotto was ESA's first deep-space mission and the first spacecraft to obtain close images of a comet nucleus. After surviving its passage through Halley's dusty coma, it was redirected for a second comet encounter.
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Identity
- Aliases
- Giotto Extended MissionGEM
- Name
- Giotto
- Status
- completed
Details
- Astronauts
- -
- Description
- Giotto was ESA's first deep-space mission and the first spacecraft to obtain close images of a comet nucleus. After surviving its passage through Halley's dusty coma, it was redirected for a second comet encounter.
- Destination
- Comet Halley flyby at 596 km on 13 March 1986, followed by Comet Grigg–Skjellerup flyby at approximately 200 km on 10 July 1992; ESA’s first deep-space mission and the first spacecraft to visit two comets
- End Date
- 1992-07-23
- Launch Site
- Outcome
- Giotto passed 596 kilometers from Comet Halley on March 14, 1986 and revealed its dark, active nucleus. Reactivated for an extended mission, it flew about 200 kilometers from Comet Grigg-Skjellerup on July 10, 1992 and entered final hibernation on July 23.
- Programs
- Start Date
- 1985-07-02
- Vehicle Families
Links
Assets & Meta
- Creation Time
- July 18, 2026 at 13:04:33 UTC
- Updated Time
- August 23, 2026 at 01:37:31 UTC
Other
- Affiliations
- Search Name
- Giotto Giotto Extended Mission GEM
- Space Stations
- -
- Vehicles