UK’s first Mars lander Honoured with commemorative plaque
Posted 10 Jun, 2026
On Christmas Day 2003, a small British spacecraft touched down on the surface of Mars – Beagle 2 – only to fall silent and be presumed lost for over a decade…
The mission? To search for evidence of life.
It wasn’t until January 2015 that NASA imagery confirmed the spacecraft had landed safely and precisely on target, its silence likely caused by a single solar panel failing to fully deploy, blocking the communications antenna.
Conceived by Professor Colin Pillinger of the Open University and carried to Mars aboard the European Space Agency’s Mars Express mission, Beagle 2 was designed to analyse Martian soil and atmosphere for signs of past life.
Jodrell Bank is proud to be one of thirteen locations selected to receive a commemorative plaque telling the story of Beagle 2, recognising the Lovell Telescope’s integral role in the efforts to detect signals from the spacecraft.
These plaques are a fitting tribute to their ingenuity and ambition, and a reminder that the technologies and expertise they developed continue to shape the UK’s place at the forefront of space exploration. I hope this initiative inspires a new generation to look up and ask what we might achieve next.
Liz Lloyd, Space Minister
The plaques are a wonderful recognition of the thousands of hours of dedication from so many brilliant scientists, engineers and technicians in industry and academia across the UK who made the mission possible.
Professor Mark Sims, Mission Manager at the University of Leicester at the time
To learn more about our involvement, read the blog by Professor Tim O’Brien, Director of the Centre for Engagement and Associate Director of the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, marking the mission’s 10th anniversary in 2013.
image A commemorative red plaque at Jodrell Bank, one of thirteen marking the legacy of Beagle 2.
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