Work continues on Beagle 2, with further efforts to raise more of the final $40 million required to fund the project. Speaking at the Minister’s meeting in Brussels, Lord Sainsbury, the British Minister for Science, remained enthusiastic about the British-led Mars lander vehicle that is being designed to fly on Mars Express in 2003. However, he refused to be drawn out on whether the British government will contribute any finances to the project.
June 5th, 1999
Mars Express Funding Solidifies
Following a meeting of European Space and Science Ministers in Brussels on May 12th, a new 5-year budget plan for ESA has been approved that makes the funding of additional space science projects now possible. Chief among these is the 2003 Mars Express mission.
May 13th, 1999
Budget deal clears way for Mars Express
European governments agreed a five-year space budget late on Wednesday that should now clear the way for the continent’s first expedition to Mars. The European Space Agency (Esa) plans to send a probe to the Red Planet in June 2003. The spacecraft will be equipped with seven scientific instruments that will enable it to search for water on Earth’s near neighbour.
March 31st, 1999
Mission to Mars set to revolutionize ESA’s working methods Florida Today
The European Space Agency (ESA) has signed a contract with Matra Marconi Space (MMS), that pioneers a more flexible way of building space science missions and is, in this way, the first trial as an element of a new and ambitious implementation concept which is currently under development for the ESA’s Scientific Programme. The contract, worth about 60 million Euro, is to design and build the Mars Express spacecraft in time for launch in June 2003. Mars Express will allow European space scientists to investigate whether there is, or ever was, life on the Red Planet.
March 30th, 1999
Europe signs Mars deal
Anglo-French company Matra Marconi Space (MMS) has signed a 60m euros (
February 22nd, 1999
Mars Express Gathers Steam
Work continues on Mars Express, albeit scaled down pending the Council of Ministers meeting in May, which now looks increasingly favorable for the mission. Matra Marconi (France) are working on the design of the vehicle, and ESA indicated continued support of the project at the Mars Exploration Symposium held in Paris at the beginning of February.
December 20th, 1998
Mars Express To Examine Atmosphere
NASA has provided $5.3 million to Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) to build components of an ion and electron measuring instrument that will study the interactions between the solar wind and the atmosphere of Mars.
November 26th, 1998
Getting the message across – on Mars!
Companies will be given the opportunity to advertise on Mars as part of a mission which aims to answer the question of whether life ever existed on the Red Planet. A spacecraft is being designed which will travel to the planet to analyse the surface for signs of life. The “Beagle 2” project will cost millions of pounds, but scientists hope the lure of advertising from Mars will encourage companies to pay for the scheme.
November 10th, 1998
Mars Express wins unanimous support Florida Today
All 14 national delegations in the European Space Agency’s Science Programme Committee have backed the project to send a spacecraft to Mars in 2003. Support for Mars Express, as this exciting mission is called, is qualified by concern about the long-term budget of ESA’s science programme. At its meeting in Paris on 2 and 3 November, the Science Programme Committee made its approval of the implementation of Mars Express conditional on sufficient funding for the science programme and no impact on previously approved projects.
November 4th, 1998
Beagle 2 Funding Approved
At the ESA Science Programme Committee (SPC) Meeting held on the 3rd November at their Paris HQ, the Committee approved the Mars Express mission for launch in 2003. The mission will be re-approved at the end of the Phase B planning (end 1999).