Planned Phoenix Mars lander. Computer artwork of the lander for NASA's planned Phoenix Mission to Mars. The mission is slated for launch in August 2007, and the lander should arrive on Mars in May 2008. There are various instruments on top of the lander, including a robotic arm, which is digging in the soil (lower centre). Two solar panel arrays (black octagons) provide energy. The lander will land near the permanent ice cap at Mars' north pole, and analyse the soil to determine the history of water on the planet.