This image may not be used to state or imply ESA endorsement of any company or product Philae lander. Artwork of the Rosetta spacecraft's Philae lande

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This image may not be used to state or imply ESA endorsement of any company or product Philae lander. Artwork of the Rosetta spacecraft's Philae lander descending on to the nucleus of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Rosetta was launched in March 2004 on a 10 year mission to study the comet. It will rendezvous with the comet in mid 2014. It is the first mission designed to land on a comet. Rosetta is carrying instruments to map the comet's surface and probe its core, as well as the Philae lander. Philae will perform detailed analysis of the comet's surface, giving an insight into conditions during the formation of the solar system some billion years ago. This image is not to scale.

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Size: 4000px × 3000px
Photo credit: © EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY,Medialab/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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