Rosetta, launched March 2, 2004 by the European Space Agency, is the first spacecraft to orbit a comet and then deploy a lander. It reached comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in August 2014 and entered actual orbit in September. The Philae lander detached from Rosetta in November and landed, bouncing twice before coming to a rest.
As the comet traveled further from the sun, light reaching the solar panels decreased. A decision was made to end the mission by impacting Rosetta onto the comet surface. The impact maneuver began on September 29, 2016 and was completed the next day.
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