Brussels, 12/11/2014 (Agence Europe) - European cooperation has allowed the mini robot Philae to be placed on a comet more than 6.5 billion kilometres from Earth. On Thursday 12 November, Philae landed without incident on the comet 'Choury' after a ten-year journey on board the Rosetta mothership. Philae is a mini laboratory that will, for the first time, allow scientists to study a comet at close quarters so that they can better understand the solar system and its beginnings. The mission led by the European Space Agency (ESA) is the result of cooperation by a dozen EU member states. ESA's Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain announced with relief that the Rosetta mission had secured its place in history and would also help us better understand our future. European Parliament President Martin Schulz also hailed the Rosetta mission as “an adventure for European collaboration”. (MD)