Engineering news
The Philae space probe endured temperatures of -150C (-238F) before waking up from hibernation after being missing for months.
It had been silent since landing on the comet in November, but made contact last weekend and has sent hundreds of packages of data to earth to be analysed.
Scientists from the European Space Agency said the lander managed to survive plummeting temperatures as it lay hidden in the shadows for seven months.
Now it has emerged from its slumber and conditions have improved, it may be able to send back more data than if it had landed in the spot it was meant to, scientists said.
Jean-Pierre Bibring, lead lander scientist, said: "We went to a temperature that was lower than -150C.
"What happened last weekend is that actually our systems survived and are in very good health, although [it] went down to that temperature -150C."
He added: "Although we are in shadow we survived and that is really amazingly fantastic."
He said that if the probe had landed on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and worked as it was meant to last November, it would have died by the end of March as temperatures warmed up.
"Our system does not survive if the temperature goes over 40C typically, and that would have been achieved by the end of March. Thanks to [the fact that] we are in the shadow we have the capability now to wake up and possibly have a very long-term activity.
"We have got still some fine-tuning to make. But essentially now we are in a position not only to wake up but to resume science to an extent that might go beyond our expectation," Bibring added.
He said the data that have been sent back was "amazingly exciting" because it captured "exactly the material that we would have dreamed to be able to analyse".
He said the lander has managed to observe a comet within a few tens of centimetres - closer than ever before.
It is hoped the probe will send back data containing clues to help unlock the secrets of life and the universe.
Prof Bibring said: "The dream that we started two decades ago, that happened last November as a reality, is being pursued. And, as I would say, if it's a dream I would prefer not to wake up."
Scientists said Philae sent two bursts of signal, on June 13 and June 14, but has not been heard from since last night or this morning.
But while they haven't heard from the probe for more than a day, they said this was "as expected" and they were not supposed to have contact.