Deep Impact spacecraft to boldly go on 1.6 billion-mile journey

A SPACECRAFT that made history in 2005 by firing a torpedo probe into a comet is setting off on a 1.6 billion mile journey across the solar system.

On July 4, 2005, Deep Impact blew a hole in Tempel 1 to reveal what lay beneath its frozen surface.

Today, it will start its new mission, heading for a flyby rendezvous with another comet, Hartley 2 — only this time there will be no explosions.