In November 2014, the European Space Agency pulled off the incredible feat of successfully putting a lander on comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. The craft, a solar powered probe named Philae, went dark shortly after. But this morning, the craft surprised ESA when it radioed back to the agency.
This comes just days after the agency was scouring for images of the little lost lander, which had only just begun its primary mission when it shut down. Already, it has returned a payload of 300 packets of data, with 8000 more expected, according to the agency. Some of it was historical data, meaning that in its seven months of silence, the craft managed to perform some science.
Philae is running on about 24 watts of power now, more than sufficient to return to work. How long it will operate depends on the window of solar power it receives, but according to the Twitter account of astrophysicist Catherine Q, the original mission called for three months of power utilizing solar energy.
Alright, Philae. You've spent seven months out there napping. Get back to work!