The first ever spacecraft to land on a speeding comet will probably wake up soon.

Ever since the European Space Agency's Philae lander had a rough touchdown on comet 67P/Churyumov/Gerasimenko in November 2014, the little probe has been in hibernation. Beginning this week, however, ESA researchers will now try to revive Philae, that is if enough sunlight hits Philae's landing site.

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Starting March 12, the Rosetta spacecraft orbiting comet 67P since August will listen to Philae's signals until March 20. The lander can start transmitting data from the comet's surface when its solar panels get enough sunlight to recharge its batteries.

According to Stephan Ulamec, Philae's project manager at the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Philae now receives twice as much solar energy compared to November. It's probably still too cold for the lander to fully awaken but it's worth the risk. Every day, the chances are getting better for the lander to wake up, he said.

The team is also very optimistic since comet 67P is now orbiting the sun at a much closer distance than when Philae made a historicalanding on the comet's rough terrain last November 12.

During the landing, the lander bounced across the surface for two hours before it finally came to rest in the deep shadow of cliff called Abydos. After transmitting important data for 12 hours, the batteries drained and the lander entered into a deep sleep.

Philae is programmed to wake up when it receives more than 5.5 watts of power from its solar panels and when its internal temperatures reach more than -49 degrees Fahrenheit.

When this commences, the lander should be able to turn on its receiver every 30 minutes so it can resume communications with Rosetta. For Philae to respond to Rosetta, it will need to have a minimum of 19 watts of power. 

Controllers have already sent commands to Philae so it will conserve power to regain communications with Rosetta. Philae will send information about its overall health and controllers will conduct operational adjustments.

The exact landing location of the probe hasn't been identified yet. The team has been taking high resolution photos of the comet from Rosetta and studying solar energy conditions of Philae since November.

TagsRosetta Begins Waiting for Signal if Philae is Still "Alive" on Comet, ESA, rosetta probe, philae lander, comet 67P, ESA rosetta philae wait signal comet