Engineering news
The European space mission that made history by carrying out the first soft landing on a comet is to be extended by almost a year, it has been confirmed.
The Rosetta mission was originally funded until the end of December this year. However, the European Space Agency (ESA) has now given formal permission for it to continue for a further nine months.
A dramatic end to the mission is planned for the end of September 2016, with the Rosetta spacecraft being dropped from orbit onto the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
The decision follows the announcement by scientists that the probe's lander, Philae, was up and running again after being forced into hibernation.
Rosetta project scientist Dr Matt Taylor said: "This is fantastic news for science. We'll be able to monitor the decline in the comet's activity as we move away from the sun again, and we'll have the opportunity to fly closer to the comet to continue collecting more unique data.
"By comparing detailed 'before and after' data, we'll have a much better understanding of how comets evolve during their lifetimes."
The comet will make its closest approach to the sun – known as perihelion – on 13 August and as a result it will become much more active.
A longer mission will allow the Rosetta team to attempt riskier investigations, including flights across the night side of the comet to observe the plasma, dust and gas interactions in this region. Dust samples ejected close to the comet's heart, or "nucleus", may also be collected.
Finally, the solar-powered space craft will lose energy as the comet recedes from the sun and its propellant fuel runs out.
Rosetta mission manager Dr Patrick Martin said: "As we're riding next to the comet, the most logical way to end the mission is to set Rosetta down on the surface.
The spacecraft would be given a command to spiral down to the comet over a period of about three months.
During this time, science operations are expected to continue, allowing Rosetta's instruments to gather data from very close to the comet's surface.
However, the Rosetta team has stressed that there is much to do before it can confirm that this end-of-mission scenario is possible.
"We'll first have to see what the status of the spacecraft is after perihelion and how well it is performing close to the comet, and later we will have to try and determine where on the surface we can have a touchdown," said Dr Martin.
Once the orbiter joins Philae on the surface it is highly unlikely to continue relaying data back to Earth.