Mars One has been split into two companies, the nonprofit Mars One Foundation and the for-profit Mars One Ventures. Switzerland-based Ventures AG was declared bankrupt by a Basel court on January 15, when it had a value of nearly $ 100 million. Mars One Ventures PLC, the UK-registered branch, is listed as a dormant company with less than £ 20,000 in its accounts.
There is no data on the charitable Mars One Foundation that self-financed by charging affiliate licensing fees for their commercial business. In an interview with Engadget, Bas Lansdorp said the foundation is still in operation, but could not act without further investment. Lansdorp declined to comment further, apart from working with other parties "to find a solution." Mars One would be the backdrop for the world's most expensive reality show, while Earthbound viewers watched the colonization process. As part of the perspective, Mars One recruited its potential colonists from a pool of volunteers and filmed documentation about them. These shows were then sold to willing buyers and broadcasters who had opted for the hype.
The last announcement from Mars One came in July 201
The overachieving goals of Mars One were considered questionable given the economics of reality TV compared to the cost of launching a rocket. The researchers at MIT have dealt with many of the project's claims, suggesting that Lansdorp's plan would quickly kill all colonists. It's a point that Lansdorp disproved in an interview on this website in 2015.
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