Philae comet lander comes back to life after 200-day hibernation

Posted on 17 Jun 2015 by Michael Cruickshank
ESA's Philae lander was the first ever probe to land on a comet. Image courtesy of ESA.

The European Space Agency (ESA) has confirmed that it has managed to re-establish contact with its Philae comet lander.

Philae had been in a hibernation mode for 211 days on the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. “On the evening of 13 June, a weak but solid radio link between Rosetta and the lander was finally established for 85 seconds,” explained the ESA in a press statement. Designed to study the composition of comets and their…

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