Thirteen years after its first, failed attempt to place a rover on Mars, Europe will reach a crucial stage on Sunday in a fresh quest to scour the red planet for signs of life, this time with Russia.

Mission controllers will instruct a spacecraft about 175 million kilometers from Earth to release and steer a paddling pool-sized lander toward the red planet's cold, dry surface.

Scheduled to arrive on Wednesday, the short-lived lander's sole purpose is to prepare the way for a subsequent rover that will drill into Mars in search of extra-terrestrial life.