Mars One, the startup that wanted to send a team to the Red Planet by getting funding through a reality television show, has gone bankrupt.
Mars One Declares Bankruptcy
The fate of the ambitious company was revealed this week on Reddit. A user posted a link to financial documents suggesting that Mars One was set to be liquidated.
Mars One Ventures, the for-profit arm of the mission, was declared bankrupt by a Basel Court in Switzerland on Jan. 15. The news was confirmed by the company's founder, Bas Lansdorp, to Engadget.
Meanwhile, the non-profit Mars One Foundation, according to Landorp, is still in operation, but it will not be able to continue without further funding.
Landorp refused to divulge further information about the demise of Mars One. He, however, stated that he is currently working with other parties "to find a solution."
Mars One's Doomed Mission To Mars
Mars One started grabbing headlines in 2012 when the company revealed its crazy plan to send humans to Mars in 2020s. Founded by Lansdorp, who also founded the green energy company Ampyx Power, and Arno Wielders, who previously worked with the European Space Agency, the company wanted to fund the long journey to Mars through reality television.
The company planned to document every step of the journey to Mars, including the selection of astronauts and their training. The company will also televise the crew's departure, their journey in deep space, their arrival at the Red Planet, and their life in their new world.
However, Mars One met intense criticisms. In 2014, MIT produced a report on the feasibility of the mission, warning that the first settlers will die after only two months in the Red Planet. The researchers predicted that the habitats would fail and the astronauts would suffocate.
Still, in 2015, the startup announced the final 100 volunteers who will undergo training for the mission to Mars.
In the subsequent years, Mars One pushed their planned manned launch further back. The company's website says that a demonstration mission to Mars is scheduled in 2022. By 2031, the first crew will begin their journey to the Red Planet.
