In October, the joint ESA-Roscosmos ExoMars 2016 mission will land the Schiaparelli rover on the Red Planet. Here’s where the probe is scheduled to land, and why researchers chose this particular area.

The 60 x 10 mile (100 x 15 km) elliptical target is located within the Meridiani Planum region in the southern highlands of Mars near the equator. The primary goal of the mission—a collaborative effort between the European Space agency and Roscosmos—will be to test technologies for the second phase of ExoMars, and to search for evidence of biological and geologic activity on Mars.

This false color perspective highlights the region’s topological features. Red and white represent high altitude features, while blue and purple show lower terrain, such as the interiors of craters. (ESA/DLR/FU Berlin, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO)

Mission planners chose this area because it’s relatively flat and smooth, making it a relatively safe place for the Schiaparelli rover to land. But it’s also interesting from a scientific perspective. Meridiani Planum appears to contain clay sediments and sulphates that likely formed in the presence of water. Photos from space also show a number of water-carved channels, particularly in the southern portions of the region.

Many of the craters in this region contain dune fields, along with dark deposits surrounding them. These features were likely shaped by wind and dust storms.