DHAKA: A European Space Agency probe has made a historic landing on a comet, but its status remains uncertain after harpoons failed to anchor it to the surface.

ESA officials said the lander, Philae, touched down on schedule Wednesday after a seven-hour descent from its orbiting mother ship, Rosetta. But during the free fall to the comet's surface, harpoons designed to anchor the probe failed to deploy.

Officials said the craft might have briefly lifted off after the initial landing on Comet 67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko before touching back down again, reports voanews.com.

The landing was the climax of a 10-year, 6 billion-kilometer journey from Earth.

Rosetta had to slingshot three times around Earth and once around Mars before it could work up enough speed to reach the comet, which it did in August.

While the ESA still needs to ascertain the state of the 100-kilogram lander, the fact that it is resting on the surface of the comet already was a huge success. The agency hopes to know more about the state of the probe by Thursday.

BDST: 1102 HRS, NOV 13, 2014