Space

The Project Of Mars One Has Again Been Postponed; No Trip To Mars Yet

Alex Davis
First Posted: Dec 09, 2016 03:40 AM EST

The Mars One project has again delayed its aim to send a manned crew to the Red Planet. The project is supposed to let a group of pioneers have a trip to Mars.

The Mars One project has been controversial as it will allow a team of colonizers to have a one-way ticket to Mars. But the project will be delayed for a couple of years.

In a Mars One report, the number one cause of the delay is the lack of funding. It is currently raising up to €10 million (~$10,618,000) in the first round of funding after the listing on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.

The money that Mars One will raise will provide funding for it to facilitate the trip. This includes award new contracts with the suppliers, hire team members with experience in implementing Mars missions, organize the next round in the astronaut selection process and crew selection and training.

CEO and co-founder of Mars One Bas Lansdrop said in a statement that, "Mars One can only implement the mission to Mars if we can afford it - and we need investments to get going.'Being listed on a stock exchange will make fundraising more straightforward."

Thus, in order to make Mars One's commercial activities an attractive investment with the potential of a good return on investment, Mars One had to adjust the timing of the planned unmanned and manned missions.

In addition, Lansdrop added that, "This pushes the large expenses associated with the mission hardware back in time, making the company cash positive sooner." The delay that they are currently announcing is also because it took people longer to get to this point than it was originally anticipated.

However, the project has already been postponed several times. Thus, Mars One said that the mission is now set in 2031 instead of the previous plan in 2022. Also, the unmanned craft testing mission that was set in 2018 is now moved to more or less before 2022, according to Phys.org.

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