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Robot probe Philae uploaded a slew of last-minute data to earth on Friday from a comet in deep space before going to sleep at the conclusion of a historic exploration.
Data streamed in as soon as Europe's pioneering robot lab re-established late-night contact with its orbiting mother ship, Rosetta, but its limited battery soon started wavering.
"My #lifeonacomet has just begun," said an official tweet in the name of the washing- machine-sized lander perched on comet 67P/Churyumov- Gerasimenko since Wednesday - concluding with a restful "zzzzz".
"S'ok Philae, I've got it from here for now. Rest well...," said a response tweeted on behalf of Rosetta.
The European Space Agency said its robot lab had entered "idle mode", with all instruments and most systems shut down after three days of non-stop work, taking pictures and probing the comet's density, temperature, composition and atmosphere.
Lander manager Stephan Ulamec said he did "not really expect" contact with Philae to resume.
"The chances that we could re-establish the link again tomorrow are really very, very low," he said on Friday.
"The battery is not completely empty, but it is below the level the central computer needs to boot" up, Ulamec said.

Philae's historic on-site survey of a comet travelling at 18km per second, currently at a distance of 510 million kilometres from earth, is the highlight in a more than decade-long mission.
Philae landed on Wednesday after a nail-biting seven-hour, 20km descent from Rosetta, which had travelled more than a decade and 6.5 billion kilometres to meet up with the comet in August.
The touchdown did not go entirely as planned, when Philae's pair of anchoring harpoons failed to deploy and it lifted off again, twice.
The lander finally settled in a crevice, but in the shadow of a cliff and unable to deploy its solar panels to power its mission.


Its batteries drained, comet probe Philae breaks link and 'falls asleep'

European Space Agency Head of Mission Operations Paolo Ferri at the organisation's headquarters in Darmstadt, Germany. Photo: Reuters

A European Space Agency handout photograph shows the first touchdown position of the Philae lander on the comet's surface. Photo: EPA

Comet lander Philae is working well but may be on a steep slope

A CIVA handout image shows the Philae probe after it landed safely on a comet, known as 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Photo: Reuters

European Space Agency makes history as probe lands on comet

A CIVA handout image shows a probe named Philae after it landed safely on a comet, known as 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Photo: Reuters

French National Centre for Space Studies (CNES) president Jean-Yves Le Gall (left) French President Francois Hollande (centre) and former French astronaut Claudie Haignere wear 3D glasses during a visit at the Cite des Sciences at La Villette in Paris as they follow the successful landing of the Philae lander on comet 67P/ Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Photo: Reuters

A photograph of the surface of comet 67P, Churyumov-Gerasimenko, unveiled by the European Space Agency (ESA). European scientists launched a probe from spaceship Rosetta November 12, 2014 in an historic attempt to examine the surface of a comet, starting a seven-hour descent that is seen as the most difficult phase of a ten-year mission. Photo: Reuters

The model of the European Space Agency's (ESA) robot craft Philae at the Cite de l'espace (Space City) in Toulouse, on November 12, 2014, the day Philae began a 20-kilometre (12-mile) descent toward the Churyumov-Gerasimenko comet after being launched from the space probe Rosetta, following a ten year journey. Photo: AFP

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Robot probe Philae uploaded a slew of last-minute data to earth on Friday from a comet in deep space before going to sleep at the conclusion of a historic exploration.


Its batteries drained, comet probe Philae breaks link and 'falls asleep'

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Robot probe Philae uploaded a slew of last-minute data to earth on Friday from a comet in deep space before going to sleep at the conclusion of a historic exploration.

Robot probe Philae uploaded a slew of last-minute data to earth on Friday from a comet in deep space before going to sleep at the conclusion of a historic exploration.