Spacecraft successfully lands on comet 67P UPDATE

Rosetta’s lander Philae took this parting shot of its mothership shortly after separation.- photo European Space Agency — Rosetta’s lander Philae took this parting shot of its mothership shortly after separation.- photo courtesy European Space Agency

DARMSTADT, Germany (AP) — European Space Agency says it has succeeded in landing a spacecraft on a comet for 1st time.

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DARMSTADT, Germany (AP) — The European Space Agency says its unmanned Rosetta probe has successfully released a lander toward the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

The 100-kilogram (220-pound) lander will take seven hours to reach the comet’s icy surface.

If successful, it will be the first time that a spacecraft has landed on a comet.

Mission controllers clapped and embraced as the Philae lander’s separation was confirmed on Wednesday.