Baikonur (Kazakhstan), June 03: Mars Express has successfully been launched into space on its way to Mars -- marking Europe`s first solo mission to the Red Planet. An explosion of light brightened the night sky at the Baikonur Space Centre in Kazakhstan on Monday at 11:45 pm (2315 IST) as a Soyuz-Fregat rocket carrying the Mars Express craft and its Beagle 2 lander, set to become the first British-built probe to explore another world.
The rocket is set to orbit Earth before the Fregat booster sets the rocket on its route towards Mars.

Mars Express has been launched in the hope that it will comb the surface of Mars and analyse atmosphere, detecting any water below the surface.
The launch marks Europe`s first solo mission to the red planet and Mars is also the first planet ever to appear on Europe`s list of planet ventures. Mars Express will cover a distance of approximately 400 million kms on its six-month journey.

Scientists hope the 55-million dollar lander -- named after the ship that took Charles Darwin on a search for the origins of life -- will come across signs of life on Mars, a notion which has inspired human beings for centuries. Bureau Report