Beagle 2 probe missing 12 years ago found on Mars

As it became known , the Beagle-2 spacecraft missing on December 25, 2003 was found on Mars. Previously it was believed that the module, designed to look for signs of life on the planet, crashed during landing (when air cushions and parachutes malfunctioned). However, NASA experts found the Beagle-2 using the HiRise camera : the device sat on Mars intact, only the malfunctioning of the solar panels that did not release the radio antennas led to the fact that on Earth they lost contact with him.



Beagle-2 is a landing module designed for research within the framework of the Mars Express mission in 2003. Designed by British scientists led by Colin Pillinger to search for traces of life on Mars. Named after the Beagle ship on which Charles Darwin traveled.

Judging by the image, the system was not fully deployed.

“Without full deployment, there is no way to communicate with the probe because the radio antenna was under the solar panels,” explained Professor Mark Sims, Beagle Mission Leader at Leicester University. Part of the video about the discovery itself can be seen here .



Beagle 2 was found less than a year after the death of the lead probe explorer Colin Pillinger . The Royal Scientific Society has announced an award in his memory.


The Commission of Inquiry, together with the European Space Agency, blamed the failure for poor management and inadequate testing of systems and components. They also admitted that too little money was allocated to the project.

With a total budget of around £ 50 million, the project remains one of the cheapest interplanetary missions ever created.