Beagle 2 report is to stay a secret

The official inquiry into the failure of the £45million Beagle 2 Mars lander mission refused to reveal its findings today.

Science Minister Lord Sainsbury said the report would remain secret "to avoid fingerpointing".

But the inquiry recommendations that were released heavily criticised the project's management, claiming it took too many risks.

The inquiry called for new controls to be brought in to oversee future missions.

Professor Colin Pillinger, the lead scientist on the project, called for an end to the speculation as to why it failed. "We never said this would be easy. We need to stop looking for individuals to blame," he said.

Beagle 2 was not heard from after separating from its mother ship on 19 December last year. It had been due to land on the Martian surface on Christmas Day.

The project was criticised for its high cost and the Government was forced to inject extra cash after Professor Pillinger failed to secure a sponsor.

Lord Sainsbury said the findings would remain secret because of confidential information on technologies used in the lander.

Professor Pillinger called for increased government funding of future science projects and asked for a British space agency to be set up.