Philae

  • The European Space Agency (ESA) has confirmed that at about 16:00 GMT, the unmanned Philae space probe touched down on the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko at the landing site known as Agilkia.
  • The European Space Agency (ESA) has given the green light for its unmanned Philae probe to attempt the historic first landing on a comet, reporting that both the Rosetta mothership and the Philae lander are in excellent shape for the planned separation and landing on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
  • Last month, ESA announced that the spot where Rosetta’s Philae lander will touch down on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on November 12 is "Site J." However, the space agency didn't think that was zippy enough, so it's now known as "Agilkia," after an island on the Nile.
  • Following an exhaustive scientific analysis, mission operators at the ESA have confirmed Site J as the primary landing location for Rosetta's Philae lander. If all goes to plan, Nov. 12 will see the first-ever attempted soft landing of a spacecraft on a comet.
  • Six weeks after arrival at the comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko (67P), the Rosetta spacecraft's handlers have tentatively announced Nov. 12 as the date for the historic touchdown.
  • The Rosetta mission's Landing Site Selection Group have selected the primary and the back up landing sites on comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenkofor for the ESA's Philae probe ahead of an attempted touchdown on November 11.
  • Rosetta is a mission of firsts. It is the first mission to successfully chase and rendezvous with a comet, and hopefully in November it will be the first spacecraft to make a soft landing on a celestial body so unlike anything we have explored before. Here are some of the dangers it may face.