After traveling 10 years and hundreds of millions of kilometers, a small robotic spacecraft has for the first time landed on the surface of a comet, a solar system object made of ice and rock.
The probe launched from the European Space Agency’s main Rosetta spaceship early Wednesday. The spaceship is designed to carefully study the appearance and materials that make up the Comet 67P/Churymov-Gerasimenko.
Scientists worried the probe might not land on solid ground but early reports say the Philae research probe is in good condition.
Stephan Ulamec, of the German Aerospace Center, announced the news. He said the landing equipment and a special device meant to secure the spacecraft to the comet had deployed.