Scientists at a number of Canadian universities plan to launch a robotic spacecraft in 2009 to search for water and life on Mars. The mission, a project called Northern Light, could cost a mere $20-million, according to its leader, Brendan M. Quine, an assistant professor of space and planetary physics at York University. He told the CanWest news service that the low price tag was made possible by using an inexpensive commercial launch vehicle like the Rockot, which is assembled from converted Soviet missiles. NASA’s current Phoenix mission to Mars costs at least 20 times as much as the planned Canadian project.

Mr. Quine said the universities were also saving money by making and testing the machinery and components “in-house.” Using prebuilt parts will also keep expenses down.

Northern Light, which began in 2001, has more than 50 scientists working on the Mars project. The mission will be controlled from York, which opened its space testing lab last year. Partner universities include the Universities of Alberta, Calgary, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan, Toronto, Waterloo, Winnipeg, and Western Ontario, as well as McGill and Simon Fraser Universities. —Karen Birchard