TIME Science space

See Pictures of Philae Detaching From Rosetta

Philae as seen from Rosetta
The Philae lander shortly after separation from Rosetta, on Nov. 12, 2014. ESA/Rosetta/Philae/CIVA/EPA

Space probe landed on a speeding comet for the first time ever

A space probe landed on a speeding comet for the first time ever on Wednesday morning. More than a decade ago, Rosetta and a lander called Philae set off to find the commit 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. The European Space Agency’s Philae lander separated from the Rosetta orbiter at 09:03 GMT on Tuesday and touched down on the speeding comet around 4:00 GMT.

Scientists hope that exploring the comet will answer questions about how planets are formed.

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