Philae Lander

The first spacecraft to land on the surface of a comet nucleus.

Overview

Philae was the small lander carried by Rosetta, designed to descend and land on the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. In November 2014, it performed the first-ever soft landing on a comet nucleus.

Although its harpoons failed to fire and it bounced across the surface, Philae was still able to return valuable data about the comet’s surface composition and mechanical properties before losing power.

📌 Mission Facts

Agency: ESA

Delivered by: Rosetta spacecraft

Landing Date: 12 November 2014

Target: Comet 67P

Status: Inactive on the comet surface

Mission Objectives

  • Perform the first soft landing on a comet nucleus.
  • Drill into the surface and analyze subsurface material.
  • Measure surface hardness, temperature, and electrical properties.
  • Study dust, ice, and organic compounds on the surface.

Key Results

  • Measured a very hard, icy subsurface beneath a dusty layer.
  • Detected organic molecules, including complex carbon compounds.
  • Provided ground-truth data to complement Rosetta’s remote sensing.

Landing Story

Philae’s landing did not go exactly as planned. Its harpoons did not fire, causing it to bounce multiple times before settling in a shadowed region. Despite this, the lander operated for about 60 hours, completing much of its primary science sequence before its batteries ran out.

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