Mars One is a proposed privately funded manned mission to Mars scheduled to take place in 2026. The project intends to land four astronauts on Mars in 2026, and a second crew of four every two years thereafter. All participants will be selected through a rigorous application and training process. The goal of the mission is not only scientific exploration but also to establish a permanent human settlement on Mars.
The idea for the mission was first proposed by Dutch entrepreneur Bas Lansdorp in 2011. He formed a non-profit organization, Mars One Foundation, to begin planning and fundraising for the project. In 2013, he partnered with Arno Wielders, an aerospace engineer, to form Mars One Ventures, a for-profit company that would commercialize the technology developed for the mission.
Lansdorp has estimated that the total cost of sending humans to Mars and establishing a permanent settlement would be around US$6 billion. This figure includes both hardware and operational costs but not launch costs, which would be provided by private partners such as SpaceX or Blue Origin.
In order to fund the project, Lansdorp has proposed several revenue streams including sponsorship deals, merchandise sales, broadcasting rights for reality TV coverage of the selection process and training of astronauts, as well as donations from individuals and organizations.
As of 2018, over 200 companies have expressed interest in providing technology for the mission and over 660 million people have registered their support online. In 2015, Mars One announced that it had signed letters of intent with Lockheed Martin Space Systems and Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd., who will develop key components for the colonization hardware package including an orbiter/lander spacecraft and communications satellites respectively.
There has been significant criticism leveled at both Lansdorp’s business plan and technical feasibility study since its inception. Many experts have cast doubt on whether all aspects of the project can be completed within its timeline or budget constraints; others question whether it is ethical to send humans on a one-way trip without any hope of rescue or return should something go wrong.