The British Beagle 2 spacecraft landed successfully on Mars' surface, David Parker, the chief executive of the UK Space Agency has confirmed.
The probe was thought lost after attempting a Christmas Day landing on the planet in 2003.
Beagle 2 was located just three miles from its intended landing site.
Dr John Bridges, of the University of Leicester, said NASA's Mars Orbiter spotted the lander from 185 miles above Mars.
It found three objects, believed to be the lander and its landing equipment.
They "glinted" in the sun but cast no shadow, Dr Bridges said, adding: "This is not just a pile of rocks and sand on the Martian surface. This is an alien object, a man-made object."
Professor Mark Sims, from the University of Leicester, said analysis showed the craft ran into problems in the final phase of deployment.
"The highly-complex entry, descent and landing sequence seems to have worked perfectly and only during the final phases of deployment did Beagle 2 unfortunately run into problems," he said.
For 12 years Beagle 2 was feared lost but today it has been hailed after images showed the probe successfully landed on Mars in 2003.
Out of this world: Five fun facts about Beagle 2
Evidence suggests the missing British Beagle 2 spacecraft, reportedly built in a Professor's shed, did land successfully on Mars in 2003.