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This is an archive article published on November 12, 2014

European spacecraft lands on comet

Scientists at European Space Agency successfully landed a probe on the surface of a comet 67P.

The European Space Agency says it has succeeded in landing a spacecraft on a comet for the first time in history.

The agency says it has received a signal from the 100-kilogram (220-pound) Philae lander after it touched down on the icy surface of the comet named 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

Flight director Andrea Accomazzo says “we definitely confirm that the lander is on the surface.”

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Further checks are needed to ascertain the state of the lander.

The landing on the speeding comet marks the highlight of the decade-long Rosetta mission to study comets and learn more about the origins of these celestial bodies.

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