Editing Mars Express (section)

== Lander ==
[[File:Beagle 2 replica.jpg|thumb|A replica of the ''[[Beagle 2]]'' lander component of ''Mars Express'' at the [[Science Museum London]]]]

The ''[[Beagle 2]]'' lander objectives were to characterize the landing site geology, mineralogy, and geochemistry, the physical properties of the atmosphere and surface layers, collect data on Martian meteorology and climatology, and search for possible signatures of [[life on Mars]]. However, the landing attempt was unsuccessful and the lander was declared lost. 

A Commission of Inquiry on ''Beagle 2'' identified several possible causes, including airbag problems, severe shocks to the lander's electronics which had not been simulated adequately before launch, and problems with parts of the landing system colliding; but was unable to reach any firm conclusions.<ref name="inquiry">{{cite web|url=http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=36541.0;attach=631766|title=Beagle 2 ESA/UK Commission of Inquiry|website=[[NASASpaceFlight.com]]|date=April 5, 2004|access-date=March 29, 2016}}</ref>

The spacecraft's fate remained a mystery until it was announced in January 2015 that NASA's [[Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter]], using [[HiRISE]], had found the probe intact on the surface of Mars. It was then determined that an error had prevented two of the spacecraft's four solar panels from deploying, blocking the spacecraft's communications.{{Attribution needed|date=May 2025}} ''Beagle 2'' was the first British and first European probe to achieve a landing on Mars.