A signal sent by the space craft to ground control confirmed what scientists had hoped – the launch had been successful and the probe was on the correct path for Mars. The Mars Express orbiter, carrying the British-built lander, Beagle 2, left Earth on a Russian Soyuz-Fregat launcher. The rocket blasted off from Baikonur in Kazakhstan at 1845 BST (1745 GMT) on Monday. It will take six months for the orbiter and its lander passenger to reach the Red Planet.