WITH only a cup of fuel left, a spacecraft the size of an office desk will make history today for the second time.

Launched 12 years ago as Stardust, it was the first spacecraft to collect dust particles from a comet, Wild 2, and then drop them back to Earth in a capsule.

An artist’s impression of the spacecraft’s approach. Credit:NASA

This afternoon the spacecraft, now named Stardust-NExT, will complete its second and last NASA mission: to fly past the comet Tempel 1.

The close encounter about 3.37pm will also be historic, marking the first time that a comet has been studied by two different spacecraft.