Editing Mars Express (section)

=== Lander jettison ===
The [[Beagle 2]] lander was released on December 19, 2003, at 8:31 UTC (9:31 CET) on a [[Ballistics|ballistic]] cruise towards the surface. It entered Mars' atmosphere on the morning of December 25. Landing was expected to occur at about 02:45 UT on December 25 (9:45&nbsp;p.m. EST December 24). However, after repeated attempts to contact the lander failed using the ''Mars Express'' craft and the [[NASA]] ''[[Mars Odyssey]]'' orbiter, it was declared lost on February 6, 2004, by the Beagle 2 management board. An inquiry was held and its findings were published later that year.<ref name="inquiry" />