3 July 2026
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Latest News
  • [ 10 June 2026 ] Caught in the act: the wind that could kill a galaxy News
  • [ 4 June 2026 ] Europe’s Mars rover may land in the remains of a vast ancient water system News
  • [ 14 April 2026 ] Moon dust preserves record of life’s building blocks News
  • [ 11 April 2026 ] Dark matter may come in multiple forms, new model suggests News
  • [ 2 April 2026 ] Witness to history: Artemis II, lunar exploration and hope News
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Video: Mission control celebrates separation but anxiety builds over landing

12 November 2014 Astronomy Now

Paolo Ferri, ESA’s Head of Mission Operations, expresses relief at the apparently successful release of Philae from the Rosetta mothership but the potential loss of a crucial touchdown system has caused increased anxiety about the landing.

  • Comet
  • comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko
  • Philae
  • Rosetta

Related Articles

News

Pew! Rosetta’s comet stinks!

30 October 2014 Keith Cooper

If it were possible to breath in space, one would smell a pungent aroma of rotten eggs, ammonia, vinegary sulphur dioxide and toxic hydrogen cyanide coming from comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, according to sensors on the Rosetta mission.

News

Live coverage: Rosetta’s final hours

30 September 2016 Stephen Clark

Europe’s Rosetta spacecraft will close out a historic 4.9-billion-mile journey Friday with a slow-speed crash into the nucleus of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, the tiny world it has studied for the last two years, capturing some of the mission’s best science data to help unravel the inner workings of the comet. Confirmation of the crash landing should arrive on Earth around 1218 BST.

News

For comet scientists, elation and redemption at Philae’s wakeup

19 June 2015 Stephen Clark

Research teams across Europe spent the last half-year meticulously going through a wish list of experiments for the Philae comet lander without knowing whether they would ever get a chance to execute the tasks.

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News Headlines

  • Caught in the act: the wind that could kill a galaxy
    10 June 2026
  • Europe’s Mars rover may land in the remains of a vast ancient water system
    4 June 2026
  • Moon dust preserves record of life’s building blocks
    14 April 2026
  • Dark matter may come in multiple forms, new model suggests
    11 April 2026
  • Witness to history: Artemis II, lunar exploration and hope
    2 April 2026

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