According to reports, on August 13, comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko will arrive at its perihelion, its nearby orbital point to the sun. On August 2014, Rosetta arrived at comet 67P, 10 years following its launch. It is orbiting and exploring the space rock.

A robotic worker known as Philae was released by Rosetta that made the discovery of "primordial soup" on the comet, and it is present over there. Philae and Rosetta will be gathering data regarding the changes on 67P, however at present, there is no connection between the two. Dust, ice and gas start erupting from the surface, leading to creation of halo as the comet approaches the sun.

According to Rosetta project scientist Matt Taylor, "Perihelion is an important milestone in any comet's calendar, and even more so for the Rosetta mission because this will be the first time a spacecraft has been following a comet from close quarters as it moves through this phase of its journey".

As per Taylor, for the first time, a spacecraft has been studying a comet from close quarters, while moving through this part of its journey. The European Space Agency (ESA) has released pictures of 67P that have been captured by Rosetta, approximately 100 miles away. The pictures show major jets of dust and gas from the nucleus.

According to Mark McCaughrean, a senior scientist at ESA, it will be required to keep Rosetta comparatively high above the comet and therefore, they cannot study the comet thoroughly.