Mars Express has slotted into its final orbit

European space agency spokesman Franco Bonacina said the probe completed the far-off manoeuvre without incident.

"Everything went fine," he said. "It's basically in its final orbit. We're expecting soon to have images from the high resolution stereo camera."

Mars Express will map the Red Planet in unprecedented detail - its best images will see objects down to two metres.

The probe will operate from a polar orbit that takes it between 300 and 11,000 km from the planet's surface

Scientists want the mission to:

• map the mineral composition of the surface at 100-m resolution
• map the composition of the atmosphere and determine its global circulation
• determine the structure of the sub-surface to a depth of a few kilometres
• determine the effect of the atmosphere on the surface
• and determine the interaction of the atmosphere with the solar wind

So far the excellent performance of Mars Express has been somewhat overshadowed by the loss of its lander Beagle 2, which should have touched down on the planet on Christmas Day.

Despite repeated attempts at contact, including with Mars Express, no trace of the British-built lander can be found.

It is conceivable the high resolution camera could see evidence of Beagle's landing airbags or parachute.

Mars Express continues to listen out for Beagle's call but if no contact is made by early February, the lander segment of this first solo European mission to another planet will be declared lost.