The European space probe Rosetta has collided with comet 67P, known as Churyumov-Gerasimenko, thus concluding its twelve-year mission.

The spacecraft's crash into the comet on Friday was controlled by ESOC, from the headquarters of Darmstadt in Germany. The crash occured 720 millions km from earth, reported Belgian daily Le Soir.

In the hours before the planned collision, Rosetta sent back a host of high-resolution pictures and other measurements of the icy dirt-ball.

Launched on March 2, 2004 from the French Guiana by the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC), Rosetta's mission was to perform a detailed study of the Churyumov-Gerasimenko comet.

After a journey which lasted more than 10 years, spacecraft Rosetta entered the orbit of the comet in August 2014 and started its study, which was aimed to be the most detailed ever conducted of a comet.

Scientists expect all the data gathered at 67P in the past two years to keep them busy for decades to come.