Mars Express mission logo on the fairing

Installation of the Mars Express mission logo on the Soyuz fairing, May 2003

Mars Express leaves Earth for Mars
on 2 June 2003 when the
positions of the two planets make for
the shortest possible route, a condition
that occurs once every twenty-six
months. The intrepid spacecraft will
start its six-month journey from the
Baikonur launch pad in Kazakhstan onboard a Russian
Soyuz/Fregat launcher.