The UK's 60kg (130lb) Beagle 2 Mars lander, which will fly piggyback on the European Space Agency's Mars Express spacecraft in 2003, has been approved by the UK Government.
The project, which will cost up to $40 million, will be paid for by industry and commercial sponsors, with the government contributing $8 million, says UK science minister Lord Sainsbury.
It is believed that $5 million has already been pledged by industry, including the spacecraft builder, Matra Marconi Space, and Martin-Baker, which is developing the landing system.
The Beagle 2, the brainchild of UK Open University professor Colin Pillinger, will carry a "mole" device to burrow into the Martian surface after landing on 25 December, 2003.
The mole will collect from beneath the 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 biological processes.
Source: Flight International