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Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, approximately 3 km from its surface. (Photo: ESA/Rosetta/Philae/ROLIS/DLR)

European probe lands on comet 500 million km from earth

by Peter Teffer, Brussels,

A European robot probe has made the first ever landing on a comet, but its status is currently unclear after harpoons failed to anchor it to the surface.

The Philae lander, which was launched from the Rosetta spacecraft, touched down on the 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko comet on Wednesday (12 November).

“We are on the comet,” landing manager Stephan Ulamec said from the European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany.

The signal that the Philae had landed on the comet, ...

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Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, approximately 3 km from its surface. (Photo: ESA/Rosetta/Philae/ROLIS/DLR)

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