A CHELMSFORD company has been praised by the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg for the huge role it played in the historic Rosetta comet mission.

Electronics firm e2v, based in Waterhouse Lane, was responsible for supplying the camera equipment for the satellite Rosetta and Philae robot, which has been sending images back to Earth of the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

Mr Clegg said: “I would like to offer huge congratulations to all at e2v who have been a part of history on the Rosetta mission. The work you’ve done is a credit to Chelmsford, the UK and the world – and is now having an impact from a comet 300 million miles away.”

The robot landed on the comet on Wednesday, November 12, and has been widely recognised as mankind’s greatest achievement in space since the first Moon landing in 1969.

One of the many e2v camera systems on the Philae robot was taking pictures of the comet’s surface while another filmed the descent and is taking images of the sites sampled by Philae’s instruments.

The company also built three other camera systems on the main spacecraft, Rosetta – one that produced all the pictures shown so far, and others used for navigation and helping map the landing spot.

Dr Paul Jerram, from e2v, told the Weekly News it had been an incredibly exciting week for the company following the historic landing.

He said: “This has been fantastic for all, and especially those that were here 15 years agowhen it all started and are no longer at e2v.

“The pictures coming back have been fantastic.

Everyone has absolutely loved it. This will continue for another year. While the lander is dormant the satellite will continue to orbit and send back pictures.”

The landing followed an epic ten-year journey that travelled four billion miles across space.

The robot’s landing on the comet – which is travelling at speeds of 84,000mph – has left it in the shadow of a large cliff, meaning it can’t access sunlight for its solar panels to generate electricity.

The Government awarded e2v £3.75million in 2013 to create 130 jobs and expand its world-leading silicon imaging technology, as used on Rosetta.