THE failed Beagle 2 mission to find life on Mars has been slated by an official inquiry.

According to the European Space Agency report the Beagle 2, which was part funded by Swindon's Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council, was poorly funded and there was little time to fully test the spacecraft's instrumentation, particularly its landing systems.

The project has received criticism from the National Audit Office which has said that the Beagle 2 team, led by professor Colin Pillinger, grossly underestimated the cost and risks of failure.

The probe had been due to land on the red planet on Christmas Day after being ejected from its mother ship Mars Express several days before.

But all communication was lost with the probe which was small enough to fit into a shopping trolley.

The ESA inquiry was launched in February.

Since the craft disappeared, British scientists have been investigating the possible causes of its loss and have come up with a number of possibilities.

Some have suggested that the probe may have been damaged in a crash on Mars because the planet's atmosphere was less dense than expected. This would mean the craft was travelling faster when it landed than planned because there was less atmospheric resistance.

Prof Pillinger said the project had passed a number of scientific and budgetary reviews by ESA and said: "We always knew it was a risk, but if you don't take risks you don't achieve anything."