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Philae was the first probe to soft-land on a comet

Philae was the first probe to soft-land on a comet

In November 2014, ESA’s Philae lander left the Rosetta orbiter and touched down on comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko — the first soft landing on a comet’s nucleus.

Harpoons failed and it bounced into a shady spot, so its battery life was short. Still, it returned close-up data on the surface before going silent.

A tiny lander turned a dirty snowball into solid ground under boots of metal. Philae proved comets can be visited, not only photographed.

Shahzad Mahota Shahzad Mahota @shahzad-mahota

Philae was the first probe to soft-land on a comet