The spacecraft that landed on a comet performed two tricky maneuvers Friday, by drilling into the rocky surface and rotating itself to catch more sunlight.
The operations carried risks because they could have toppled the probe or push it out into the void. But without them, the Philae lander that scored a historic first by touching down on a comet Wednesday risked running out of battery power.
Scientists at the European Space Agency said the maneuvers appeared to have worked.
“My rotation was successful (35 degrees). Looks like a whole new comet from this angle,” read a message posted on the lander’s official Twitter account.
It also wasn’t clear whether the rotation had succeeded in putting the lander’s solar panels out of the shadow. Scientists are likely to know for sure early Saturday.
Since landing on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, the lander has performed a series of tests and sent reams of data, including photos, back to Earth.
Meanwhile, the Rosetta, Philae’s mother ship, will use its instruments to analyze the comet over the coming months.
