Lift off for Europe and Russia's joint mission to Mars

Satellite's search for methane gas will show whether life existed on the red planet

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The Proton rocket that launched the ExoMars into space is moved into position in Kazakhstan
(Image credit: Stephane Corvaja/ESA via Getty Images)

European and Russian space agencies have launched a joint mission to Mars to search for gases that could indicate the existence of life on the Red Planet.

At 3.31pm local time (9.31am GMT), a Proton rocket carrying the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter satellite blasted into the atmosphere from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. It is due to reach Mars in October and, after a year getting into the correct orbit, 250 miles above the planet, will spend five years observing the land below.

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