Is the UK involved in the exploration of other planets? Our government is very supportive of projects to explore the rest of our Solar System, and the UK is currently taking part in a number of ambitious missions to other planets. These include:
Mars Express Launched in 2003, Mars Express was ESA's first mission to any other planet in the solar system. Its aim is to find out more about conditions on Mars: its surface, weather and atmosphere.
The major contribution that the UK made to the mission was to build the lander, Beagle 2. Although we lost contact with Beagle-2 in late December 2003 the technology is already being put to good use in other missions.
At the ESA Ministerial in December 2005, The United Kingdom subscribed 108.1 million to the Aurora Programme which includes a robotic mission to Mars. This mission, ExoMars, will investigate the existence of life on the planet and study Mars' suitability for an eventual human mission.
Find out more about Mars Express and Aurora.
Cassini-Huygens A joint mission between the ESA and NASA, Cassini-Huygens is one of the most exciting missions the UK has been involved in over the last 10 years. Its aim is to carry out a major, in-depth study of Saturn and its biggest moon, Titan.
In January 2005 the Huygens lander successfully touched down on the surface of Titan and major scientific results were released at the end of November 2005.
Businesses and universities in the UK have contributed to the design of both the orbiter and the probe, and many British academics are analysing the data which has been coming back from the mission.
Find out more about Cassini-Huygens.
Venus Express Venus Express is the first mission to Earth's closest neighbour in 10 years, and the first time Europe has sent a craft to examine the hottest planet in our solar system. Scientists hope that the mission will reveal more secrets of the planet's astonishing extremes of weather, and may also offer clues about how we can preserve the temperature of our own planet.
The mission was launched in November 2005 and arrived at Venus in April 2006.
The UK has been actively involved in the planning and development of Venus Express and will be involved in the analysis of the data as the mission continues.
Find out more about Venus Express.
Rosetta
Rosetta is one of the most challenging missions ever attempted and is set to make some remarkable new discoveries about comets - the icy balls of gas that are the very earliest building blocks of the universe.
It was launched in 2004, starting a ten-year journey to the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Rosetta will conduct a one-year study of the comet, lowering a probe onto its surface to give the most detailed pictures of a comet ever taken.
A number of UK companies made key contributions to the design of Rosetta whilst UK academics will be involved in the experiments carried out during the mission and in analysing the resulting data.
Find out more about Rosetta.
