Philae Update - After its first comet touchdown in space history, the Philae lander from the Rosetta spacecraft of the European Space Agency (ESA) has finally communicated back to Earth. The comet lander has managed to send signals back after its seven-month hibernation.

Like Us on Facebook

In November, the Rosetta spacecraft made a momentous breakthrough in space expedition after it successfully deployed its Philae lander on the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. But because of depleted batteries, the system of the lander was forced to shut down after establishing a 60-hour communication with Earth.

And seven months after losing contact with Philae, ESA's comet lander has finally communicated back to planet Earth last Saturday. As previously reported, the agency confirmed last Sunday that the probe was able to send a signal back to Earth in just over a minute after its solar panels absorbed enough light from the sun.

Now, the German Aerospace Center revealed that the Philae lander is doing well and has phoned home on Friday. According to The Guardian, the latest contact lasted for 19 minutes and it is the third time the lander communicated since it landed on the comet.

Scientists believe that the Rosetta mission will give an insight and directly illustrate the significant pieces of evidence about the original resources that went on into the formation of the solar system almost 5 billion years ago. They are also hoping that the exploration will unlock long-held secrets of comets.

Philae's first contact came last Saturday, which was then followed by a brief burst on Sunday. And on Friday, WTSP revealed that the comet lander's twin, two-minute bursts, which were 17 minutes apart, included more telemetry and other "housekeeping" data.

Meanwhile, ESA has also sent commands to Philae lander's mother ship, Rosetta. As per Newser, Rosetta is 180 kilometers (112 miles) from the comet, and the command sent is to improve communications between the spacecraft.

It took seven months before Philae woke from hibernation on June 13 and made contact with Earth for two minutes. It reported back again two days later. On Friday, Philae transmitted 185 data packets back to Earth.

"Among other things, we have received updated status information," Cologne's DLR Lander Control Centre systems engineer Michael Maibaum said. "At present, the lander is operating at a temperature of zero degrees Celsius, which means that the battery is now warm enough to store energy. This means that Philae will also be able to work during the comet's night, regardless of solar illumination."

Tagsphilae, Comet Lander, spacecraft, rosetta, Cosmos, Universe, outer space, Science