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PRESS RELEASE
Beagle 2 Arrives in Baikonur with Mars Express : milestones so far 
The UK's Beagle 2 Mars Probe, built by Astrium, Stevenage as the Industrial Prime Contractor, arrived at the Baikonur launch site in Kazakhstan on Thursday 20th March 2003, more than two months prior to the opening of the launch window. It was transported from the test facilities in Toulouse, France in the same giant Antonov cargo plane as the Mars Express orbiter which was also built by Astrium. Beagle 2, which is currently undergoing stand-alone testing and battery charging, will hitch a lift to Mars aboard the European Space Agency's orbiter.In the design and manufacture of Beagle 2 Astrium has achieved a number of significant milestones. 10 of these are listed below, in reverse order: 10. Transport to Baikonur (19/20 March 2003) Beagle 2 and Mars Express travelled together to Baikonur in one of two giant Antonov 124-100 transport aircraft. Customs formalities were successfully cleared in Moscow and the Probe finally arrived at the airport in Baikonur during Thursday 20th March. The Beagle 2 Probe was then transported by rail to the spacecraft assembly complex to be mated once more with the Mars Express spacecraft and prepared for launch. 9. Completion of Beagle 2 Pre integration with Mars Express (02 Mar 2003) Beagle 2 was continuously subjected to health checks to confirm that it had travelled well Then the probe was installed on the Mars Express spacecraft and the electrical connections made together with a trial fit of the external multi layer insulation (MLI). A cruise checkout was then successfully performed confirming that Mars Express and Beagle 2 will function together correctly. Beagle 2 was then removed and put back in its container for its trip to Baikonur. 8. Delivery of Beagle 2 to Toulouse (24 Feb 2003) Beagle 2 was transported within an inner pressure vessel housed in an outer container, by road and ferry to the Intespace facilities in Toulouse. Special permission was required because of the hazardous nature of the cargo. . 7. Completion of Beagle 2 Acceptance Tests (15 Feb 2003) Beagle 2 was sent from the Open University to AWE, Aldermaston for workmanship testing. This testing is a pre-requisite for acceptance by the launch authority. The Probe was subjected to quasistatic, sinusoidal and random vibrations simulating the harsh environment to be expected during launch. 6. Completion of FM Probe integration (07 Feb 2003) With integration and testing completed, the Lander was finally closed during January 2003. It was then integrated into the back cover along with the gas generator, airbags, pilot and main parachutes and the deployment devices. With the addition of the front shield the Probe was complete and the spin up and ejection mechanism was fitted. The whole Probe was then weighed and statically and dynamically balanced. 5. Completion of Probe/Lander Thermal Tests (11 October 2002) The Beagle 2 Aeroshell Assembly Model was successfully thermally tested to simulate both the cruise phase of the mission, when the probe is attached to the Mars Express spacecraft, and the coast phase when spinning after release from the spacecraft. These checks, carried out at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory completed the system level thermal tests. Lander tests, simulating operations on the surface of Mars, were successfully completed earlier in the year, on 5th June 2002. 4. Calibration of Flight Model Instrument Arm (1 October 2002) Protoflight testing of the Flight Model instrument arm was successfully completed in October. Development and structural models of the arm had earlier been extensively tested to confirm the robustness and functionality of the design. The Flight Model arm was calibrated in Stevenage with the assistance of a team from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, which was responsible for the associated on-ground control software. The arm was then sterilised and its Paw instruments were added in the Aseptic Assembly Facility. 3. Assembly of the Flight Model Electronics Module (28 September 2002) The Beagle 2 lander Electronics Module or ELM uses innovative packaging techniques to fit the electronics within a confined 120degree segment of the lander's base. Printed circuit boards, transceiver and battery were optimally configured in an open package without the use of box type structures or connectors. The design thus achieves a very low total mass of only 6.5 kg. In order to achieve this ultra light packaging, assembly is very labour intensive. Over one hundred man shifts were required to assemble the unit! Bulk sterilization of the PCBs was completed prior to assembly. After completion of electrical testing the ELM was gas plasma sterilized before being integrated into the lander in the Aseptic Assembly Facility. 2. Completion of Mechanical Tests (27 September 2002) An Astrium team in Stevenage successfully completed mechanical testing of the Protoflight Model probe. The tests involved shaking the probe on a large vibrator to simulate the severe launch conditions it will encounter when mounted on the Mars Express spacecraft on the top of a Soyuz Fregat launch vehicle. The qualification level quasistatic, sine and random tests were 1.5 times the maximum expected during launch. The vibration tests were followed by successful operation of the Flight Model Spin Up and Release Mechanism (SUEM) used to launch the probe from Mars Express. Elements of the flight structure then received their final thermal finishes and were sterilized before final assembly in the new Aseptic Assembly Facility at the Open University in Milton Keynes. 1. Completion of Main Parachute Critical Design Review (26 September 2002) In June 2002, Astrium took the decision to recruit its own team of experts to design, develop, manufacture, test and deliver a new lightweight parachute for the lander in just 3 months. This followed the discovery during tests in May 2002 that the airbags used to cushion the landing on the Martian surface were compatible only with descent velocities lower than those originally envisaged. With the assistance of Analyticon, Astrium recruited a core team to drive through the programme. A high performance ringsail type of parachute with a canopy area 56% greater than the previous one was designed by the core team in 4 weeks. Lindstrand Balloons in the UK were contracted to structurally test the parachute and manufacture the qualification and flight models. END
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