ESA's Philae Lander Reached Comet 67P on November 12, 2014

The European Space Agency’s Rosetta mission deployed Philae to Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, where the lander first touched down on November 12, 2014. After two rebounds, Philae came to rest and used stored battery power to operate its instruments.

Key details

• Philae touched down three times in total, with two rebounds after its first contact.
• Its first rebound carried it about half a mile above the comet’s surface.
• The lander drifted and bounced for about two hours before Rosetta’s cameras lost track of it.
• Philae operated on stored battery power for more than two days and used 10 instruments to conduct science.
• Rosetta found Philae in a rocky crevice in September 2016, lying on its side.
• Rosetta ended its mission by landing on the comet on September 30, 2016.

Philae’s first rebound carried it about half a mile above Comet 67P’s surface.

Why it matters

Philae conducted measurements on the surface of a comet, while Rosetta observed the mission’s target from orbit. The lander’s 10 instruments collected science data during its battery-powered operations.