The Philae lander, which Europe hopes to put on the surface of a comet later this year, has been re-activated after three years in deep-space hibernation. The small probe is currently riding piggy-back on the Rosetta satellite. This was despatched 10 years ago to rendezvous with the Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, and was itself awoken in January. Read more
At 10:00 GMT on 20 January 2014, the Rosetta spacecraft will awaken, and, seven hours later, will transmit a check signal to let mission controllers know that the spacecraft has woken.
When Europe's Rosetta probe gets roused from its deep space slumber next month, scientists are hoping it will wake up fit and ready for the final stage of its daring mission to land a spacecraft on a comet. There is little room for mistakes as the coming months involve a high-speed chase, a delicate dance around comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, and finally the precision drop of a lander onto its icy surface - set for Nov. 11. Read more
Yesterday, thousands of visitors to ESA's technical heart in the Netherlands enjoyed learning more about ESA space missions, including Rosetta - the daring spacecraft that will rendezvous with a comet next year. Rosetta has been in deep-space hibernation since June 2011 while on the loneliest leg of its 10-year journey through space to its destination: comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Read more
This image taken by ESA's Rosetta spacecraft as it passed by the Red Planet in February 2007 captures the rare view of a skinny slice of Mars. The flyby was the second of four planetary gravity assists needed to slingshot Rosetta to its final destination, comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko, where it will arrive in summer 2014. The three other gravity boosts were provided by our home planet, Earth. Read more