Departure for the Red Planet is scheduled for 2022, landing seven months later in 2023. At a news conference, Lansdorp maintained that "no new inventions are needed to land humans on Mars." JUST WATCHED Mars applicants apply here Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Mars applicants apply here 03:42 PLAY VIDEO 
 
 NASA: Yes, Mars could have hosted life 
 
 The biggest obstacles, he said, are financial. The application itself might be a money-maker, too: It will cost U.S. residents $38 to put their name down for a one-way journey. The money will fund the mission. The colony's budget comes in at "about $6 billion," Lansdorp said. With that in mind, the mission's $6 billion price tag "is actually a bargain." And space entrepreneur Dennis Tito recently announced plans to send a couple for a fly-by in 2018. At the news conference, Lansdorp said he'd like to go to Mars himself, but he isn't because his girlfriend won't come along.  Permanent Settlement 
 
 Sending humans to Mars is a phenomenal undertaking by all standards and presents very real risks and challenges. "We need to make sure that crew members can continue without those people." In fact, there will be a lot more to watch than the launch and landing. Mars One has already started contracting established aerospace companies that will be able to develop the required systems. Those liked more will be more likely to go on to the next round of astronaut selection.
– A Dutch company is looking for volunteers to fly to Mars in 2022. Just one catch: the ticket is one-way. Mars One announced its intentions to colonize the red planet last year, and is now accepting applications from everyday astronauts willing to give up the rest of their lives for the mission. Anyone over the age of 18 can apply (so long as they pay the $38 application fee) and so far more than 10,000 people have registered their interest, CNN reports. "Psychological skills will be the main selection criteria we will use," says Mars One co-founder Bas Lansdorp. The mission will be part science experiment, part reality show, reports NPR. Lansdorp says he has consulted with the creator of Big Brother, and believes broadcast rights to the quest could help cover the $6 billion price tag of the ambitious journey. "It will stay interesting for a very, very long time," he says. "We are already receiving a lot of interest from [broadcasters]."