The Beagle 2 is an inoperative British Mars lander that was transported by the European Space Agency's 2003 Mars Express mission. It was intended to conduct an astrobiology mission that would have looked for evidence of past life on Mars.
Replica of the Beagle 2 at the Science Museum, London
Model of the Beagle 2 at the Spaceport museum in Seacombe, Merseyside, depicting the spacecraft in a state similar to the way it was found in 2015
Colin Pillinger, leader of the Beagle 2 project, pictured in 2009
Beagle 2 launched with Mars Express and was released near Mars a few days prior to its landing, after a multi-month long journey from Earth. Mars Express entered Mars orbit and has remained active ever since (as of 04 January 2023)
A Mars landing is a landing of a spacecraft on the surface of Mars. Of multiple attempted Mars landings by robotic, uncrewed spacecraft, ten have had successful soft landings. There have also been studies for a possible human mission to Mars including a landing, but none have been attempted.
Landing in an airbag
An illustration of Perseverance tethered to the sky crane
The MSL Descent Stage under construction on Earth
The thrusters of the InSight lander dug pits during landing beneath it at its landing site.
