Two years after touching down on the red planet’s rocky soil, the Mars rover Curiosity has reached one of its major goals: the base of Mt. Sharp.

The 3.4 mile-high mountain has been a target since Curiosity first landed on Gale Crater. Scientists hope to study whether the mountain’s rich clay soils could have supported life.

While NASA hoped to reach Mt. Sharp earlier, a side trip to Yellowknife Bay set the trip back by six months. However, the delay did provide valuable information about Mars’ chemical composition which indicated that conditions would have been suitable for basic microbial life.

The rover will soon approach the Pahrump Hills, a gateway to the mountain’s summit that provides a smooth surface for Curiosity. Previously, the rover’s path was rerouted due to wheel damage from sharp rocks. Curiosity will begin its ascent of Mt. Sharp’s lower slopes in the coming month providing that no further issues occur with the rover’s thin wheels.

Mt. Sharp contains a rocky stretch called the Murray Formation, which is 200 meters thick. Previously, life-friendly locales had been found at spots only 5 meters thick. Farther up the mountain is another spot of interest known as Hematite Ridge, which contains silicon that can often indicate the presence of water. Scientists are currently debating how long the rover should spend at each site.

Investigating the mountain’s chemical components will allow scientists to help determine the long history of Mars- including, possibly, whether it ever contained life. Facing prior criticism from NASA’s senior level, the Curiosity team now hopes to prove that the mission can answer some serious questions.