The Phoenix Mars Lander landed on Mars on May 25, 2008 after leaving Earth in August of 2007. The Phoenix Mars Mission is the first in NASA's Scout Program. According to the mission website, Phoenix is designed to study the history of water and habitability potential in the Martian arctic's ice-rich soil. The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, CO.