The Beagle 2 Mars lander successfully separated from its mothership at 0831 GMT on Friday, to begin its solo voyage towards a touchdown on Christmas Day.

The European Space Agency's Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Germany received a signal that confirmed the release at 1112 GMT. The success marks a key moment in the ambitious mission.

"It's been a tense morning," said David Southwood, ESA's director of science. "But I'm feeling very confident - the mother and baby are both doing well."

LONDON (Reuters) - A British spacecraft the size of an open umbrella began the final leg of its mission to find life on Mars as it successfully broke free on Friday from the mother ship that has carried it 62 million miles from earth.

Beagle 2 parted from the Mars Express rocket and set off alone to cover the remaining distance to the Red Planet, where it should parachute down on Christmas morning and start broadcasting a tune by Britpop band Blur.