Endemol follows mission to Mars

Endemol is partnering with a company working to establish a permanent human settlement on Mars and will film the mission for a forthcoming TV show.

Mars One has allowed Endemol’s factual subsidiary Darlow Smithson Productions (DSP) access to document its mission, filming everything from the tough selection process to the intensive training regime.

The new format joins a growing list of TV formats attempting to send contestants into space, including NBC’s Space Race, created by Mark Burnett, and Sony Pictures Television’s rival format Milky Way Mission, which is being produced in Holland.

DSP’s show will see 200,000 applicants whittled down to 705, who will then be tested as part of an elite training programme in preparation for the 300 million-mile journey that will attempt to establish a permanent colony on the red planet.

In order to qualify for the mission, each individual must demonstrate that they have acquired the intricate knowledge and skills as well as the high levels of psychological and physical performance needed for the longest-distance voyage humans have ever embarked upon.

With the astronaut selection process already underway, Endemol said the first instalments of DSP’s “landmark production” are expected to begin airing around the world in early 2015, with broadcast partners to be announced soon.

Work on the first unmanned mission, scheduled for launch in 2018, has already started. Mars One plans to land the first crew on Mars by 2025.

Mars One will use technology that is well tested and readily available, Endemol said. However, no return trip can be made. Instead, additional crews will be sent every two years to further build the colony.

Iain Riddick, DSP’s head of special projects and digital media, said: “This has to be the world’s toughest job interview for what is without question a world-first opportunity. The human stories that emerge will captivate and inspire generations across the globe.”