It should be noted that this site was chosen after 3 months of analysis from a set of candidates and this site was deemed the safest. Some minor concentrations of boulders are also present.

The landing site is called Agilkia and it appears to be comprised of some fairly smooth plains/depressions with small scarps surrounding them. The surface of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko is covered with smooth plains, depressions, boulders (some larger than a house), grooves, ridges, layered cliffs hundreds of feet high, steep slopes, pits and regions that are shooting out spectacular but hazardous jets of gas and dust akin to a spouting whale.Īrtist’s depiction of the Philae lander on the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Rosetta images from orbit reveal a landscape that could have easily come from a science fiction movie. The surface of this comet is complex and varied. The comet will be between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars (315 million miles from Earth) at landing and hurtling in toward its orbital swing around the sun, which it completes every 6.6 years.

If all goes according to plan, it will be one of the largest space-related events of the year – and certainly a pivotal one for the European Space Agency ( ESA ).ĮSA Rosetta spacecraft, which has been orbiting the comet since Augwill deploy its box, shaped 220 lb lander called Philae for a 19 mile long descent to the surface which will take 7 hours. This double lobed icy body has been named 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and it is about 2.5 miles across. 12, after a journey of nearly 11 years and an estimated 4 billion miles – scientists will attempt its first ever landing upon a comet.

Harpoon pathfinder