Abstract Rosetta is the first space mission to rendezvous with a comet. The spacecraft encountered its target 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in 2014 and currently escorts the comet through a complete activity cycle during perihelion passage. The Rosetta Science Ground Segment (RSGS) is in charge of planning and coordinating the observations carried out by the scientific instruments on board the Rosetta spacecraft. We describe the data processing system implemented at the RSGS in order to support data analysis and science operations planning. The system automatically retrieves and processes telemetry data in near real-time. The generated products include spacecraft and instrument housekeeping parameters, scientific data for some instruments, and derived quantities. Based on spacecraft and comet trajectory information a series of geometric variables are calculated in order to assess the conditions for scheduling the observations of the scientific instruments and analyse the respective measurements obtained. Images acquired by the Rosetta Navigation Camera are processed and distributed in near real-time to the instrument team community. A quicklook web-page displaying the images allows the RSGS team to monitor the state of the comet and the correct acquisition and downlink of the images. Consolidated datasets are later delivered to the long-term archive.

Highlights • The Rosetta Science Ground Segment supports observation planning and analysis. • An integrated information system combines planning/uplink and analysis/downlink. • Geometric variables are computed in order to plan scientific measurements. • An automatic telemetry pipeline processes housekeeping and science data. • Navigation camera images are processed and distributed in near-real time.