Posted: Sat, Jun 21, 2003, 5:35 PM ET (2135 GMT)
A computer problem with the ESA Mars Express spacecraft has delayed plans to establish communications with British-built Beagle 2 lander attached to Mars Express, New Scientist reported Friday. According to the report, Mars Express engineers received an "unexpected message" from one of the spacecraft's instruments earlier this week when they sent commands to activate it. Correcting this problem, which has reportedly been delayed because of public holidays in Germany, delayed plans to start up Beagle 2's onboard computers because of concerns that the Mars Express instrument problem could interrupt the flow of data between Beagle 2, still attached to Mars Express, and Earth. That startup, which had been scheduled for Friday, has been delayed a week. Mars Express and Beagle 2 were launched earlier this month on a Soyuz; Beagle 2 is scheduled to land on Mars on Christmas Day while Mars Express enters orbit around the same time.

Related Links:

•  New Scientist article