Rosetta suicide mission LIVE: Watch spacecraft smashes into comet where it will remain for eternity

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• published: 30 Sep 2016
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The European Space Agency's £1 billion Rosetta mission is due to end with a crunch today, as the spacecraft embarks on its final suicide mission. The Rosetta space probe, which has been tracking the 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko comet since August 2014, will crash itself into the 4km-wide ball of ice and dust at around 11.38am UK time on Friday. Scientists at the European Space Agency (ESA) set the orbiter on a collision course with the comet on Thursday evening, and mission controllers transmitted the final commands - 249 lines of instructions - to the orbiter at around 5.40am.A note signed by the team and left on the main control room door at the European Space Operations Centre said: "Farewell Rosetta! We will miss you." The decision to crash the spacecraft was taken because the comet is now heading so far from the Sun that soon its solar panels will no longer be able to generate enough power to keep it functioning.The spacecraft is expected to keep taking photos at a rate of three a minute and collecting data with its instruments until it hits the surface.Professor Monica Grady, a British scientist involved in the design of the lander, said she had "very mixed feelings" as the end approached. "It's been a fantastic mission, but it's time now to move on to the next one," she told BBC News. "It's been a tremendous achievement by the European Space Agency, it's been absolutely amazing."A note signed by the team and left on the main control room door at the European Space Operations Centre said: "Farewell Rosetta! We will miss you." The decision to crash the spacecraft was taken because the comet is now heading so far from the Sun that soon its solar panels will no longer be able to generate enough power to keep it functioning.Rosetta will share its resting place with the tiny Philae lander it dispatched onto the surface nearly two years ago, spelling the end of the daring expedition that began in 2004. Despite travelling at just 1.1mph - walking pace - Rosetta is not designed for landing, so various components will almost certainly be crushed as it dumps down. The craft could remain crumpled and lifeless on the surface of the comet for millions of years, as 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko continues its circuits of the solar system.Dr Daniel Brown, an astronomy expert at Nottingham Trent University, described Rosetta as "one of the most ambitious and inspiring space missions ever". "Chasing a comet for ten years, swinging into orbit around an object of then undefined shape, and then landing a probe on the comet can only be described in one word: amazing," he said. "Scientists have gathered vast amounts of data about chemical composition, dust and more, helping us to understand the activity of comets, how comets were formed and gaining insight into our early solar system. "But the most moving and powerful aspect of this mission was the wealth of imagery sent back to Earth. They captured our minds and imagination. They made us dream and also feel what science really is all about: seeing, discovering, challenging the old and shaping the future." You can watch Rosetta's final moments in the video player at the top of this article.