A British spacecraft which disappeared as it approached Mars in search of alien life successfully landed on the Red Planet’s surface, scientists behind the £50m (€65m) project said.

A British spacecraft which disappeared as it approached Mars in search of alien life has been spotted on the Red Planet’s surface, the head of the UK Space Agency has confirmed.

UK scientists were forced to revise their plans to track down the missing Beagle 2 today – just as America celebrated the Nasa probe’s successful landing on Mars.