The European Space Agency (ESA) has finalized the date on which Rosetta, the spacecraft that is currently in the orbit of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, will conclude its mission. The Philae robotic lander will get the company of the orbiter on September 30, 2016, when Rosetta team will make the orbiter fall straight down at high speed onto Comet 67P/C-G.

This might be the final opportunity for the spacecraft to collect important data and capture high-resolution pictures of the comet, which otherwise would not have been possible to obtain. The spacecraft took off from Earth on March 2, 2004, and on August 6, 2014, it entered the orbit of the comet, marking a significant achievement.

The comet follows a wide elliptical orbit and therefore, the agency had to be extremely cautious while deciding the speed of Rosetta and the intersection point of the spacecraft and Comet 67P/C-G. An array of significant information was provided by the Rosetta orbiter and the Philae lander on Comet 67P. The former captured images from its location in the comet’s orbit, while the latter transmitted data on the surface of the comet.

The information was instrumental in enhancing the general understanding of scientists on comets. At present, the comet is travelling back out in its orbit towards the furthermost point from the sun. As the distance from the sun has increased drastically, the amount of energy that can be gathered by the solar cells of Rosetta has alleviated.

A report published in SpaceDaily revealed, "Combined with an ageing spacecraft and payload that have endured the harsh environment of space for over 12 years - not least two years close to a dusty comet - this means that Rosetta is reaching the end of its natural life."

Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko's maximum distance from the Sun (over 850 million km) is more than Rosetta has ever journeyed before. The result is that there is not enough power at its most distant point to guarantee that Rosetta's heaters would be able to keep it warm enough to survive.

The final hours of descent will enable Rosetta to make many once-in-a-lifetime measurements, including very-high-resolution imaging, boosting Rosetta's science return with precious close-up data achievable only through such a unique conclusion. Communications will cease, however, once the orbiter reaches the surface, and its operations will then end.

According to a story published on the topic by TheVerge, "The countdown to the destruction of the European Space Agency’s Rosetta spacecraft has begun. The probe, which has been orbiting around a comet since the end of 2014, will make a controlled descent and crash into its rocky companion on September 30th. The spacecraft’s destruction will mark the end of the Rosetta mission, which has spanned the last 12 years."

It’s a bittersweet ending for the mission, which has experienced some high highs and low lows on its journey. Rosetta has made history multiple times over the past 12 years. In September 2014, it became the first spacecraft to orbit a comet. In November 2014, the mission made history yet again when Rosetta’s lander, called Philae, landed on Comet 67P, marking the first time a vehicle had touched down gently on a comet.

But as successful as Rosetta has been, the mission has also been plagued with problems. Philae may have successfully landed on Comet 67P, but it didn’t land as it was supposed to. During its descent, the lander failed to deploy its two harpoons, which were needed to help anchor Philae to the comet. As a result, the lander bounced twice and came to rest in one of the comet’s shaded regions.