Posted: Sat, Oct 2, 2004, 1:33 PM ET (1733 GMT)
The British government announced Friday that it will provide financial support for ESA's Aurora exploration program. After several months of contemplation, the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC) announced it would invest £3.5 million (US$6.3 million) into the Aurora program for 2005, and set aside an additional £1.5 million (US$2.7 million) for UK national activities related to Aurora or as additional investment into the ESA program. Aurora is a long-term exploration program that seeks to carry out a series of robotic missions to the Moon and Mars that could eventually lead to a human mission to Mars no earlier than 2033. The UK had been on the fence regarding whether to participate in Aurora or devote funding to other ESA programs. In the near term, ESA plans to create a "fully costed and defined" schedule of missions for Aurora by 2006. Those missions may include ExoMars, a proposed rover mission proposed for launch in 2009.

Related Links:

•  The Scotsman article
•  The Guardian article
•  The Daily Telegraph article
•  BBC article
•  PPARC press release