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The Philae lander on the distant comet 67P re-established radio contact with Earth on Friday night, downlinking yet another stream of science data, the BBC reported.

Everything expected from the little probe was delivered, just before low battery power dropped it into standby mode.

The robot is shadowed by a cliff and cannot get enough light on to its solar panels to recharge its systems.

Engineers fear this contact may have been its last - certainly for a while.

Philae descended to the surface of 67P on Wednesday - the first time in history that a space mission has made a soft landing on a comet.

The next opportunity to talk to Philae will come around 1100 GMT on Saturday, when the orbiting Rosetta satellite - which delivered it to the 4km-wide "ice mountain" - comes over the horizon.

But with only 1.5 hours of sunshine falling on the robot during the comet's 12-hour day, it seems doubtful the battery will have recovered enough performance to complete the radio link.

Engineers did manage to maximise the possibility of it happening, though, by sending a command to reorientate the lander.

This involved raising Philae by 4cm and rotating its main housing by 35%. This will ensure the largest solar panel catches the most light.

Even if the probe falls silent over the weekend, researchers say they are thrilled with the amount of data already acquired.