A spacecraft designed to search the atmosphere of Mars for clues of life on the surface of the red planet has successfully blasted.

The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan aboard a heavy lift Proton rocket at 9.31am GMT to begin a seven-month, 300 million-mile (483 million km) journey to the red planet.

It is due to analyse Mars' atmosphere to search for low levels of gases such as methane that may betray the presence of alien life on the planet's surface.

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The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan (pictured) aboard a heavy lift Proton rocket at 9.31am GMT, as planned, vanishing into an overcast sky within seconds

ExoMars 2016 is the first phase of an historic €1.2 billion (£924 million) joint European-Russian mission to search for biochemical 'fingerprints' of past or present life high above Mars and on its surface.

Scientists believe the probe has the potential to find 'very strong evidence' of alien life when it arrives at Mars on 19 October.

The rocket was raised up into position on the launch pad on Friday and officials at the European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany, gave the rocket the green light to launch after doing a systems check at around 8.45am GMT on Monday morning.

It's the heaviest spacecraft ever sent to Mars at 700 tons and Esa's Michael Khan said: 'It has to has be accelerated at high velocity - we need a big rocket

'It will reach Mars on the 19th of October this year - that's a fact.'

The weather was hazy for the launch, but the rocket blasted off (pictured) at 9.31 GMT precisely, as planned

Scientists believe the probe has the potential to find 'very strong evidence' of alien life when it arrives at Mars on 19 October. An image taken moments after blast off is shown above

The Proton rocket with the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter on top (pictured) was raised into position ready for launch at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The space probe will be sent into orbit around Mars where it will analyse the atmosphere to search for signs of where methane on the planet has come from

THE EXOMARS LAUNCH DETAILS Launch vehicle: Proton-M/Breeze-M Launch mass: 4,332 kg (including fuel) Instruments: Orbiter (3732 kg, including 135.6 kg science payload) and Schiaparelli (600 kg) Dimensions: Orbiter: 3.5 x 2 x 2m with 17.5m solar arrays tip-to-tip. Schiaparelli: 1.65 m diameter The launch: The rocet blasted off at 09:31 GMT (10:31 CET) on 14 March, as planned. The first acquisition of signal is expected at around 21:29GMT (22:29 CET). Advertisement

A total of 25 minutes before the launch, the flight director confirmed the launch was ready, saying 'we're good to go, thank you'.

Five minutes before the launch, deputy flight controller, Michel Schmidt said: 'The spacecraft is now on its own battery and we're crossing our fingers.'

Eight minutes after launch the first stage fell away and the faring was jettisoned.

Dr Schmidt said at the time of launch: 'As far as I can tell it's a picture book performance, they have announced the first burn of the Breeze upper stage.'

'I can confirm the first burn has completed successfully.'

Dr Khan, said: 'The first stage burns out in two minutes, using 400 tonnes of propellant,' travelling at 6,000 mph (9,656km/h) while soaring 249 miles (400km) above Earth.

The second stage carries 156 tons of propellant, with four engines blasting it further away from the pull of Earth for three-and-a-half minutes, while the smaller third stage carries over 46 tons of propellant and contains the control system that guides the lower three stages during their ascent to orbit.

After the second stage burnout, the rocket reached 80 miles (129km) altitude and 16,000 km/h, while the third stage upped the ante to 95 miles (153km) and 7.230 m/s, but was still not quite at the orbital velocity.

Launch control rapidly confirmed good operation of the third stage on the rocket, burning out around 15 minutes after launch.

The 'Breeze-M' fourth stage of the craft was then tested.

Dr Khan wrote in a blog post: 'Is almost a spacecraft on its own, allowing access to a variety of orbits including Geostationary Transfer or Geosynchronous Orbits, escape trajectories and all types of lower orbits.

'It uses its propulsion and an independent control system to manage the complex orbital and escape sequence that ensues.'

Three more burns of the Breeze-M stage are needed to boost the craft its way to Mars, Esa tweeted.

Dr Schmidt continued: 'We are preparing for the first signal [to be sent] - more than 10 hrs from now.'

'We will go to deep space networks [large dishes] as the craft travels further from Earth.'

Some 25 minutes before the launch, the flight director (pictured with his check list) confirmed the launch is ready, saying 'we're good to go, thank you'

Launch control rapidly confirmed good operation of the third stage on the rocket, burning out around 15 minutes after launch. Computer screens at Esa's mission control are shown above

This map shows the escape sequence of the craft over the Earth. Initial 'parking orbit' is achieved over east Russia, 'coast arcs' are shown in blue and 'manoeuvre arcs' where the engines are fired (red). Separation between Breeze-M and the ExoMars spacecraft will occur above Africa (purple dot)

While the Breeze-M stage does carry sufficient propellant to inject ExoMars into its required Earth escape trajectory, its engine is not powerful enough to provide the required boost in one go.

Engineers designed it to make its escape in three smaller steps, so that Breeze-M has to wait to complete a full revolution of Earth at 13,049 miles (21,000km) with subsequent orbits taking longer as it moves further from Earth.

The craft will have shed empty fuel tanks for its final manoeuvre to make it lighter, so it can finally escape the Earth's gravitational pull.

Around 15 minutes after end of the last manoeuvre, and 10 hours and 56 minutes after lift-off, the Breeze-M stage will release ExoMars.

The two will separate over Africa and the manoeuvre will be visible from the Malindi Ground Station in Kenya.

The full launch takes so long because the main engine on Breeze-M, carrying the 4.3 ton ExoMars spacecraft, delivers a thrust of 2 tons.

ExoMars is a joint endeavour between the European Space Agency (Esa) and Russia's Roscosmos space agency, comprising two craft - the TGO and the Schiaparelli landing demonstrator.

Scientists believe the probe has the potential to find 'very strong evidence' of alien life when it arrives at Mars on 19 October. This still show the rocket just under 25 minutes until blast-off

Breeze-M will have to burn 3 more times in next hours. So, no, you can't release those crossed fingers yet! #ExoMars https://t.co/CMBKppyHKE — Sam Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) March 14, 2016

If all goes to plan, TGO will make a detailed inventory of Mars' atmospheric gases, with particular interest in rare gases such as methane.

Methane could provide one of the biggest clues to whether life exists on Mars.

On Earth, the chief source of methane is bacteria. Billions of flatulent microbes, including many that thrive in the guts of animals such as cattle and termites, belch out the gas.

But methane can also be released by volcanic activity and geological chemistry.

Daniel Rodionov, project scientist at Roscosmos, said: 'The main goal is to study martian trace gases...we will be able to map methane during different seasons.

The Proton rocket was transported from a fueling station to the launchpad on Friday morning before being raised into position (pictured) in preparation for the launch on Monday

Just in time for blast off of the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, Esa's VMC camera has switched back on and released new images of the red planet (pictured)

Artist's impression visualising the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and its entry, descent and landing demonstrator module, Schiaparelli, approaching Mars. The separation is scheduled to occur on 16 October 2016. Schiaparelli will enter the martian atmosphere on 19 October, while TGO will enter orbit around Mars

THE MARS WEBCAM Ahead of the launch of ExoMars, new images of the red planet have been released by the VMC camera, on board Mars Express. Mars Express has been in orbit around Mars since December 2003. The mission involved two spacecraft, the Mars Express orbiter and the Beagle 2 lander. The VMC camera was originally used to verify the lander separated from the orbiter, but is now just used as a 'webcam' of the planet. The camera had not sent any images for a few months because the planet was experiencing one of its regular 'eclipse seasons'. But it switched back on at the end of February, and new photos were sent back yesterday. Advertisement

'So far we don't know the origin of methane on Mars... or if we are to map it globally and see how it changes.'

But the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) has super-sensitive instruments for detecting minute traces of methane and other atmospheric gases.

It will look for methane 'hotspots' over the Martian surface, and, crucially, test whether the gas is likely to be the product of biology or geology.

This is because methane breaks down in sunlight after a matter of a few hundred years, meaning any detected must have been made recently.

The aim of ExoMars is to determine whether the gas is coming from a geological or biological source such as volcanoes or microbes, for example, in order to build on 'inconclusive' readings taken by Nasa's Curiosity rover.

Concentrations of methane have been observed in 2003 and 2006 in three specific regions of Mars: Terra Sabae, Nili Fossae and Syrtis Major, and data suggest that water once flowed over these areas.

Deep liquid water areas below the ice layer would be able to provide a habitat for microorganisms, or a favourable place for the hydro-geochemical production of methane.

METHANE ON MARS More than 90% of methane on Earth is produced by living organisms, making the recent detection of the gas in the northern hemisphere of Mars of great interest. Methane has a chemical lifetime of between 300 and 600 years, so if it is detected, it can't have been produced 4.5 billion years ago, when the planets formed. If methane is being produced biologically, it may be by microscopic organisms living below the surface of the red planet. Or it was made by extinct methanogenes that left methane frozen in the Martian surface, which is being gradually released. The methane could also have a geological origin, in which case it may be provided by the oxidation of iron, similar to what occurs in terrestrial hot springs, or in active volcanoes. Advertisement

Meanwhile, Schiaparelli will demonstrate a range of technologies to enable a controlled landing on Mars, which will pave the way for a manned mission to Mars.

Thomas Reiter, astronaut and Esa director of human space craft and exploration said: 'Missions like ExoMars and other robotic missions will pave the way but in 20 or 30 years [for a manned mission to Mars.

‘I think humans are explorers- it's a dream. I'm sure we will make the way [to Mars], but maybe not directly - the moon will play an important role.

‘We can prove a lot of technologies that will be used there,’ he said, mentioning using water to make fuel to return to Earth, for example.

After a seven-month cruise, the lander will separate from the TGO on 16 October and land on Mars on 19 October.

TGO will then enter orbit around Mars and will serve as a data relay for the second ExoMars mission, which will involve a rover and laboratory on Martian soil, planned for launch in 2018.

The huge Proton rocket is carried from the fueling station to the launchpad at Baikonour spaceport using a train that is specially designed to carry the enormous vehicles

The 600kg flight model of theSchiaparelli demonstrator module pictured prior to the start of thermal tests at the Thales Alenia Space premises in Cannes, France. In June and July 2015, Schiaparelli was subject to thermal vacuum and balance tests to measure the thermal performance of the module under space conditions

The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO), artists impression pictured, is set to blast off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan aboard a Proton rocket on 14 March at 09:31 UTC (10:31 CET), with first acquisition of signal expected at around 21:29 UTC (22:29 CET)

Artist's impression of the interior of the Schiaparelli entry, descent and landing demonstrator module. Schiaparelli, part of the ExoMars 2016 mission, will launch with the TGO, arriving at the Red Planet in October. Schiaparelli carries a small science payload, called DREAMS (Dust Characterisation, Risk Assessment, and Environment Analyser on the Martian Surface)

The TGO has 'Cassis' on board, which is best colour 'camera' or imager taken to Mars, according to Ruth Ziethe, project manager, Cassis instrument.

When asked what her ultimate dream would be, she said: 'liquid flowing water in 3D imaged by Cassis with martians swimming in it'.

Esa said the launch of ExoMars 2016 will mark the start of a new era of Mars exploration for Europe.

Both Europe and Russia's fortunes have been mixed when it comes to Mars missions before, with Esa's Mars Express mission successfully putting a spacecraft into orbit in 2003, but its Beagle 2 lander failing to communicate with Earth.

Russia's Phobos-Grunt mission suffered a failed launch and none of the Soviet Union's missions to Mars were successful, New Scientist reported.

Both space agencies hope to enjoy similar glory to Nasa, whose most recent probe, Maven, is currently analysing the planet's upper atmosphere.

THE SEARCH FOR METHANE ON MARS SO FAR Scientists analysing data from Earth-based telescopes in Hawaii and Chile, and the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter, independently claimed to have discovered methane in the planet's atmosphere in 2003 and 2004. But the amounts were tiny - around 40 millionths of methane's concentration in Earth's atmosphere, and detecting it took a lot of data crunching. The Nasa rover Curiosity apparently got a whiff of methane on the Martian surface, but it was very brief. A big mystery about the reported Martian methane is that it seems to be concentrated in certain locations, and its distribution varies with the seasons. Dr Peter Grindrod, lecturer in planetary science at Birkbeck, University of London, said: 'There is some uncertainty about even the detection of methane, which was initially done using Earth-bound telescopes. 'Curiosity found no methane at first and then got a spike that was above the level of background noise. It took about five measurements, then it dropped back down to zero again. 'The first job will be to confirm the presence of methane, and show how much there is. Over time when there's enough data we'll be able to address the question of the source of methane.' He said if TGO found evidence of biological methane it would generate 'phenomenal' interest in the second stage of ExoMars, which will launch a British-built rover to Mars in 2018. The rover will drill six-and-a-half feet (2metres) under the planet's surface and analyse samples looking for biochemical 'fingerprints' of life. Advertisement

The VMC camera was originally used to verify the lander separated from the orbiter, but is now just used as a 'webcam' providing images of the red planet like the latest picutres, taken on 9 March, shown. This is just ahead of the launch of ExoMars next week that aims to work out why methane is in its atmosphere

Last year, Nasa announced data collected by the craft shows the loss of atmosphere to space probably played a role in Mars' gradual shift from its carbon dioxide-dominated atmosphere.

This atmosphere kept Mars relatively warm and allowed the planet to support liquid surface water.

It then shifted to the cold, arid planet we see today.

Håkan Svedhem, ExoMars 2016 project scientist said TGO will give scientists a better idea of what is going on closer to the Martian surface.

This is because the probe has more sensitive instruments able to detect molecules at a level of parts per trillion.

Spectrometers will detect atmospheric gases, while a neutron detector will map water ice below the planet's rusty-coloured surface.

If sulphur dioxide is detected as well as methane, it may point to the existence of a volcano, whereas higher levels of isotope carbon-12 alongside methane, could point to biological life of some form.

Some of the team who are preparing the ExoMars 2016 spacecraft for launch are pictured in front of the Proton rocket. The aim of ExoMars is to determine whether the gas is coming from a geological or biological source such as volcanoes or microbes, for example

The Trace Gas Orbiter pictured in the Compact Antenna Test Range (CATR), where electromagnetic compatibility tests are performed. The tests demonstrate that the spacecraft's systems will operate without interfering with one another, and that they're sufficiently immune from external electromagnetic radiation

The Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) pictured in a cleanroom of Thales Alenia Space in Cannes, France. After a seven-month cruise, the lander will separate from the TGO on 16 October and land on Mars on 19 October. TGO will then enter orbit around Mars and will serve as a data relay for the second ExoMars mission, which will involve a rover and laboratory on Martian soil, planned for launch in 2018

THE EXOMARS TIMELINE Launch: 14 March Mid-course correction: 28 July Schiaparelli–TGO separation: 16 October 2016 TGO manoeuvre: 17 October 2016 Orbiter insertion into Mars orbit: 19 October 2016 Schiaparelli entry, descent and landing: 19 October 2016 Aerobraking: January–November 2017 Science phase begins: December 2017 Advertisement

If carbon-12 is detected, it 'would be very exciting - not 100 percent evidence, but it is very strong evidence that something biological has generated the isotope,' Svedhem told Wired.

Bruce Jakosky, who leads Nasa's Maven mission said: 'Detecting methane by itself doesn't tell you whether it is produced biologically or geologically - you need to look at the whole suite of atmospheric behaviour.

'That would be considered the home run for TGO, to define the source of methane.'

However, any new data won't be shared until the end of next year at the earliest, because the probe has to spend a year decelerating so it can graze the atmosphere at a slow enough speed.

Live streaming of the launch began on 14 March at 08:30 GMT (09:30 CET).

The aim of ExoMars is to work out whether the gas is coming from a geological or biological source such as volcanoes or microbes, for example, in order to build on readings taken by Nasa's Curiosity rover, CGI pictured, which have proved inconclusive

The Trace Gas Oribiter (pictured) will eventually work in tandem in orbit with the ExoMars rover on the surface, which is due to be launched to the red planet in 2018

The first acquisition of signal is expected at around 21:29 GMT (22:29 CET).

The 2018 mission of the ExoMars programme will deliver a European rover and a Russian surface platform to the surface of Mars.

A Proton rocket will be used to launch the mission, which will arrive to Mars after a nine-month journey.

The ExoMars rover will travel across the Martian surface to search for signs of life by collecting samples with a drill and analysing them with 'next-generation instruments'.

ExoMars will be the first mission to combine the capability to move across the surface and to study Mars at depth.

IS THERE A VOLCANO BELOW THE MARTIAN SURFACE? Dr Manish Patel, from the Open University, who leads the team in charge of TGO's ultraviolet spectrometer instrument, said: 'Methane is a biologically relevant gas but its presence on Mars is controversial. This mission (ExoMars 2016) was born out of that controversy to solve this question. 'We will map the methane globally and take vertical profile measurements, not only seeing where it is but whether it is close to the surface, evenly distributed or at the top of the atmosphere. 'We can start to follow it around. If we see a glob of methane we can backtrack and see where it came from.' Geological methane may be generated by volcanic activity or water reacting with the mineral olivine, or released from clathrates - frozen ice-like deposits that trap the gas in a chemical 'cage'. Not long ago Mars was regarded as a geologically 'dead' planet. Today many experts believe there is still volcanic activity bubbling under its surface. Olympus Mons, the solar system's biggest volcano - which towers to a height of 16 miles, making it three times higher than Mount Everest - is thought to have had its last major eruption as recently as 25 million years ago. This is far too long ago to account for any methane in the Martian atmosphere, but some scientists think the volcano, and others near it, are still geologically active. Dr Patel stressed that searching for life on Mars was a complicated business and it would be wrong to jump to dramatic conclusions too soon. Advertisement

The 2018 mission of the ExoMars programme will deliver a European rover and a Russian surface platform to the surface of Mars. A proton rocket will be used to launch the mission, which will arrive to Mars after a nine-month journey, CGI pictured

The ExoMars rover will travel across the Martian surface to search for signs of life. It will collect samples with a drill and analyse them with next-generation instruments. ExoMars will be the first mission to combine the capability to move across the surface and to study Mars at depth, CGI pictured