Spacecraft catches up with comet after a decade

After a 6.4bn kilometres journey, European spacecraft Rosetta became the first ever to catch up with a comet, a landmark stage in a decade-long space mission that scientists hope will help unlock some of the secrets of the solar system.

Rosetta, launched by the European Space Agency (ESA) in 2004, will accompany comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on its trip around the sun.

Scientists are now on a tight schedule to learn enough about the comet to safely land the spacecraft’s probe on it in November.