The UK's Open University-led Beagle 2 Mars lander project goes before the European Space Agency's (ESA) Science Programme Committee on 10 November. It is bidding to take a piggyback ride aboard the ESA Mars Express orbiter in 2003.
The 60kg (130lb) Beagle 2 is not yet fully funded but a green light from ESA will improve its prospects. The UK has committed $8 million to the project, which will cost about $40 million.
It is also understood that a further $8 million has been put forward by industry.
The Beagle 2, the brainchild of the University's Prof Colin Pillinger, will carry instruments, including a "mole" device to burrow into the Martian surface after landing in December 2003.
The mole will collect sub-surface samples that have not been exposed to harsh oxidising conditions. An onboard instrument will be used to test for the presence of organic molecules that could indicate the existence of life.
Source: Flight International
