The lander was initially scheduled to launch in March of 2016, but due to a leak in InSight's vacuum system, its launch was rescheduled for May of 2018 -- the next time Mars and Earth would be close enough for the mission to take place. Once it reaches Mars, it will then send a probe deep beneath the Martian surface to take measurements and collect information about how the planet formed and evolved.

InSight is scheduled to launch during a 30-day window that begins on May 5th and if all goes well, should reach Mars towards the end of November. The mission will take place over one Mars year, or around two Earth years, and could be extended depending on the state of the lander and available funding.