UA Phoenix Mars Mission - Landing The Phoenix mission is led by the University of Arizona on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems. The spacecraft launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Aug. 4, 2007, and landed successfully on May 25, 2008. On Mars' northern plains, Phoenix will examine the water-ice known to exist under the top soil surface and look for clues th[...]