The European Space Agency's Rosetta probe is finally nearing its historic landing on a comet after a 10 year journey through deep space.

Comets are believed to be ancient relics of our solar system that was formed 4.6 billion years ago. Rosetta's primary mission is to collect samples from comet 67P/Gerasimenko-Churyumov to understand and gather new insights about the evolution of the solar system.

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According to Fred Jansen, Rosetta Mission's manager, comets are actually time machines that can give clues about the composition of the solar system. A three-legged lander called Philae, a space lab of sorts, will be deployed from the Rosetta probe this Wednesday at 8:35 GMT.

Philae, which is roughly the size of a washing machine, will make its descent towards the comet's surface after a grueling seven hours.

Philae will then take photos and send back data about the composition of the dust and gases shrouding comet 67P. The launch of Philae requires perfect timing, angling and speed since once Philae makes its descent, scientists won't be able to control its trajectory.

The landing site called "J" also includes risks since the comet's terrain isn't uniform but is pockmarked with craters, cliffs and large boulders. According to Rosetta flight director Andrea Accomazzo, luck should play a part in this historical landing because if there's a boulder at Philae's landing site, no one can do anything about it.

For the Rosetta team, this is the most nerve wracking part of Philae's landing. Signals from Philae's landing will reach Earth at around 1600 GMT. If successful, Philae will begin sending images and data for a period of six months.

As 67P nears the Sun, Philae will have ended its mission on the comet as extreme temperatures will destroy it. This is the first time in human history a probe has orbited around a comet and the first time  a lander will attach itself to a comet to study its composition.

Rosetta has been travelling in deep space since 2004. It used Earth's and Mars' gravitational pulls as a slingshot to propel itself further into space. It rendezvoused with comet 67P last August.

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