1,800 Indians keen on settling down on Mars

India may still be a little away from launching its very own, full-fledged Mars mission, but that isn’t stopping natives from queuing up to get their “ticket” to a one-way trip to the Red Planet.

In fact, nearly 1,800 Indians have made up their mind to make Mars their home in the future. Many of these are from Bengaluru, according to Aashima Dogra, a spokesperson for Mars One, a not-for-profit organisation responsible for planning this one-way trip to Mars in 2022.

Your next address too?

In her statement to TOI, Dogra revealed that the final list of settlers will be picked from the applicants registered on the company site. At the outset, they will be required to invest a sum of $7 (Rs 432 approx.). Part of their Mars mission plan, guys at Mars One will integrate components that are well tested and easily available from leading names in this space. Elaborating further upon their plans, Mars One says, “The Mars One mission plan consists of cargo missions and unmanned preparation of a habitable settlement, followed by human landings. In the coming years, a demonstration mission, communication satellites, two rovers and several cargo missions will be sent to Mars. These missions will set up the outpost where the human crew will live and work.”

More from News & Analysis

What is the US HIRE Bill and why is India’s $250-billion IT sector worried? Is the internet dead? What's this theory that OpenAI's Sam Altman says might be true?

If you’re above the age of 18 and are psychologically stable, you are fit to apply to this mission. The total number of applications globally has already touched roughly one lakh, of which 30,000 are from the U.S. alone.