SPECTACULAR close up pictures of a comet have been released as scientists from Harwell saw the end a £1 billion mission. 

Around 12.30 today, a spacecraft from the European Space Agency - based in Harwell in Oxfordshire - crashed into a comet.

It is hoped the one-way mission to the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko will produce valuable data and pictures. 

Herald Series:

Picture taken as comet comes within 1000 metres of the comet's surface

Scientists, staff and guests are gathered at the space centre to watch the final moments of the £1bn mission, with an ESA live stream screened on a big screen.

Budding scientists were able to follow the space craft's grand finale as the ESA hosted a live stream of the momentous descent.  

Footage from the ESA live feed, broadcast live on a big screen at ESA

The spacecraft targeted Ma’at, a region hosting some active pits on the small comet lobe. This region was chosen for its scientific potential and taking into account key operational constraints involved in executing the descent.

Scientists at the European Space Agency (ESA), based in Harwell, said goodbye to the orbiter they had set on a collision course with the chunk of ice and dust on Thursday evening.

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."

Dr Geraint Morgan, business development manager: Space Translation at the Open University, said: "This mission has required over 20 years of effort, as teams designed and then built instruments and spacecraft prior to launch in 2004.  

"We then chased the comet for 10 years over four billion miles across the solar system, so today will be a bittersweet day for many of us.

“This mission was the first to successfully land on a comet.  

"Onboard the Philae lander was the Ptolemy Instrument, developed at The Open University and RAL Space in Harwell, which along with the COSAC instrument detected complex organic modules present on the comet surface.

"Rosetta is a fantastic example of how an array of science disciplines can work together to expand human knowledge, which can then be applied to change and save lives here on Earth."

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,

"It's been a tremendous achievement by the European Space Agency, it's been absolutely amazing."