The Dutch-based nonprofit Mars One, which aims to establish a human settlement on the Red Planet, has announced that it has signed a deal with Darlow Smithson Productions, an Endemol-owned company, to film its astronaut selection and training process.

Multi-award winning factual producer DSP will follow 705 highly motivated candidates, shortlisted from over 200,000 who applied to become future inhabitants of Mars. The company says viewers will be able to watch the candidates undergo rigorous training run by a panel comprised of pre-eminent scientists, adventurers and astronauts. Mars One promises that those who wish to receive a one-way ticket to the Red Planet will be tested to the extreme.

The first instalments of DSP's landmark production are expected to be broadcasted around the world in early 2015.

Bas Lansdorp, Co-founder and CEO of Mars One, describes the deal with DPS as a "perfect partnership." He explained that the NGO was looking for a "partner whose strength lies in factual storytelling to an international audience."

Lansdorp is confident "DSP will provide that to Mars One, while allowing our selection committee to maintain control of the astronaut selection process." "This really is a perfect fit for both of us," he added.

Iain Riddick, DSP's Head of Special Projects and Digital Media, said: "It is a great privilege for DSP to be chosen to exclusively follow the incredible journeys of those who will make humankind's first footprint on Mars. This has to be the world's toughest job interview for what is without question a world-first opportunity and the human stories that emerge will captivate and inspire generations across the globe."

Back in 2012 Gerardus 't Hooft, a Dutch theoretical physicist, said that Mars One "might become the most spectacular event ever watched by everyone on the globe." He alleged that "Big Brother will pale in comparison."

The ambitious if not reckless Mars One project, promoted as the next giant leap for mankind, aims to establish a first permanent human settlement on Mars. The first crew is expected to land on the Red Planet in 2025.

Source: Voice of Russia