Rosetta Mission: Scientists Say Farewell To Philae Comet Lander As It Goes To Sleep For Good

Rosetta mission scientists have given up hope of hearing from the Philae comet lander following months of radio silence.

The robot made history when it touched down on comet 67P after launching from Earth aboard the Rosetta space probe nearly a year previously.

After touching down in November 2014, Philae beamed back never-seen-before images and scientific data from the comet before going into hibernation mode a few days later.

It was hoped that as the lander moved closer to the sun , scientists would be able to rouse the little robot from its slumber.

The Rosetta probe approaching the comet (ESA/ATG medialab/NAVCAM)

The lander managed to communicate with mission control sporadically from June 2015 but was last heard from on 9 July last year.

“The chances for Philae to contact our team at our lander control centre are unfortunately getting close to zero,” says Stephan Ulamec, Philae project manager at the German Aerospace Center.

“We are not sending commands any more and it would be very surprising if we were to receive a signal again.”

The robot is now in hibernation indefinitely (ESA)

The Rosetta spacecraft will continue to carry out measurements in orbit around the comet until September.

Image credit: ESA/Rosetta/Philae/CIVA