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Much of the northern plains on Mars resemble upper Siberia: flat, cold, and frozen solid. While that terrain is considered a wasteland in Siberia, on Mars it’s a leading target in the search for microscopic life because it’s one region where scientists expect to find water.

Phoenix, which will lift off on August 3, will dig into the Martian tundra next year. It will land in a region that should have abundant frozen water, according to instruments on the Mars Odyssey orbiter. “There isn’t any serious doubt that it’s there,” says mission leader Peter Smith. “However, until you actually go down and get a shovel full of it and measure it, you can’t be 100 percent positive that ice is what was seen.”

Phoenix will analyze small amounts of soil for evidence of water and organic chemistry, but not life itself.