LONDON — There is fresh hope that a probe missing for 11 years may have been found on the Red Planet.

The UK Space Agency sparked optimism after scheduling a press conference to give an update about the craft for Friday, Jan. 16.

Beagle 2 was due to land on Mars on Dec. 25 2003, however after it was ejected from the Mars Express orbiter on Dec. 19 it wasn't heard from again and for all these years it has been presumed lost.

The mission was led by the late Professor Colin Pillinger, who was an expert in interplanetary science at The Open University.

Professor Colin Pillinger on Thursday, Dec. 25, 2003.

Several attempts were made to find the probe, which was due to set down in Isidis Planitia, a plain located inside a big impact basin on the planet. A report by the UK team responsible for Beagle 2 found that a thinner than expected atmosphere could have affected the landing.

The Space Agency is tight lipped about what's in the update, but since the press conference was announced there's been much speculation in the British media that the craft has been found.

The Guardian quoted sources at the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRise) camera project team at the University of Arizona who said the remains of the lost lander might have been spotted.

Meanwhile, The Times quoted a senior space scientist who said they had seen images from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter that showed an object about the "right shape and in about the right place" as the lander.

Launched in 2005, HiRise is a camera onboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which sends back high-resolution images of the Red Planet's surface.