Mars Express

How the mission was named:	Mars Express is so called because it will be built more quickly than any other comparable planetary mission. Beagle 2 was named after the ship in which Charles Darwin sailed when formulating his ideas about evolution.
Prime contractor:	Astrium, Toulouse, France, leading a consortium of 24 companies from 15 European countries and the US
Launch date:	2 June 2003
Launcher:	Soyuz/Fregat, built by Starsem, the European/Russian launcher consortium
Launch mass:	1120 kg (including 113 kg orbiter payload and 60 kg lander)
Lander:	Beagle 2
Orbiter instruments:	High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC); Energetic Neutral Atoms Analyser (ASPERA); Planetary Fourier Spectrometer (PFS); Visible and Infra Red Mineralogical Mapping Spectrometer (OMEGA); Sub-Surface Sounding Radar Altimeter (MARSIS); Mars Radio Science Experiment (MaRS); Ultraviolet and Infrared Atmospheric Spectrometer (SPICAM);
Spacecraft operations:	European Space Operations Centre (ESOC), Darmstadt, Germany
Ground stations:	ESA ground station in New Norcia, near Perth, Australia. Foreseen operational duration: One Martian year (687 Earth days) is funded. The spacecraft is designed for a further Martian year's operation.
Arrival at Mars:	December 2003
Lander mission management:	University of Leicester, UK

The Mars Express Orbiter will: image the entire surface at high resolution (10 metres/pixel) and selected areas at super resolution (2 metres/pixel); produce a map of the mineral composition of the surface at 100 metre resolution; map the composition of the atmosphere and determine its global circulation; determine the structure of the sub-surface to a depth of a few kilometres; determine the effect of the atmosphere on the surface; determine the interaction of the atmosphere with the solar wind.

The Beagle 2 lander was planned to: determine the geology and the mineral and chemical composition of the landing site; search for life signatures (exobiology); study the weather and climate.