Mars Express

Mars Express is a Mars exploration mission of the European Space Agency and Italian Space Agency[?]. The spacecraft was launched on June 2, 2003, using a Soyuz-Fregat rocket. The craft successfully launched from Baikonur in Kazakhstan at 17:45 UTC, and began its inter-planetary voyage.

The craft also contains the lander, Beagle 2, designed to perform exobiology and geochemistry research, which may shed light on whether Mars had once supported or possibly supports living organisms.

The probe is expected to enter Mars orbit on December 25, 2003.

External links

• Mars Express project (official site) (http://sci.esa.int/marsexpress/)
• BBC item: "Europe's Mission to Mars" (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/sci_nat/03/race_to_mars/mission_guide/html/)
• Europe blasts off to Mars (http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993791) New Scientist