The UK is to play a key role in Europe's next mission to Mars.
The government is to invest 108m euros (£73.2m) to give Britain a major share in building the robotic probe. European Space Agency (Esa) member states approved funding for the ExoMars mission at the agency's minsterial meeting in Berlin. The rover will explore the surface of the Red Planet, in search of traces of life, past and present. The mission is a key milestone in the Aurora programme, Esa's vision to send spacecraft and eventually astronauts to the Moon and Mars.