General · 9 June 2026
UK's first Mars lander celebrated with 13 new plaques
Britain's first Mars lander, Beagle 2, is finally getting the recognition it deserves with 13 new plaques appearing nationwide. The spacecraft successfully landed on Mars on Christmas Day 2003, but wasn't confirmed until 2015 because a solar panel blocked its antenna. Professor Colin Pillinger, who conceived it at the Open University, died in 2014 before its success was known.
Reported by BBC · How we write briefs