The European Space Agency has announced that the unmanned 'Rosetta' space probe is expected to be separated from its mother ship 'Philae' on Wednesday at about 8:35 GMT.
The event marks the climax of Rosetta’s decade-long journey to study the icy celestial bodies that have long fascinated scientists. They now hope the data collected by Rosetta will provide insights into the origins of comets and other objects in the universe.
Later, at about 1600 GMT, the agency’s mission control center in Darmstadt, Germany, is set to give Rosetta the final go-ahead to drop a lander on the comet.