The space explorers waiting to set off to mars in the humanity’s first attempt to colonize the red planet have to wait a little longer after the mission has been rescheduled for 2031. Mars One, in charge of the mission, has officially made the announcement on Wednesday, December 7th, 2016.
The initial date for the launch has been previously set to 2026. However, Bas Lansdorp, the Mars One CEO says that the mission has been postponed in order to raise more funds needed to cover the costs associated with it. Moreover, the company is currently on the course of being taken over by the InFin Innovative Finance AG Swiss firm. The financial services company has bought Mars One for the price of $94 million. As of today, the Mars One Foundation, a Dutch non-profit group together with Mars One Ventures PLC, a British for-profit corporation, make up the Mars One entity.
Mars One Space Mission Objectives
When the space exploration company first made its announcement back in 2012 about placing a human colony on the red giant’s surface, there were approximately 200,000 enthusiasts hoping to take part in the venture. However, among the 100 people left since then, NASA will handpick only 24 individuals. They will undertake the seven-month journey to Mars and ultimately establish on the surface of the red planet.
However, before humans are sent flying to Mars, the space organization will send an unmanned mission with a robot on board. The machine will be tasked with exploring the planet before the first batch of human space explorers arrives.
Next, NASA will send the 24 participants to Mars in six groups with four people each. Once the colonizers reach the red planet, scientists expect them to produce their own food, extract water, and generate their own oxygen supply. Moreover, the candidates will also have to build permanent settlements.
Past Incidents Involving the Mars One Space Mission
Over the course of years, the space mission has confronted with multiple struggles. The mission has already been rescheduled several times in the past. This makes most people believe that the Mars One space mission is not feasible.
Moreover, the Mars One CEO, Mr. Lansdorp also admitted to the bad start. However, he is confident that this time the chances of seeing the mission through will considerably increase with the new strategy in place.
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