The robotic mission to the Red Planet will launch in January 2018 - two years later than initially planned, Mars One founder Bas Lansdorp said.
The Lockheed Martin contract to design a Mars lander - similar to NASA's 2007 Phoenix lander - is worth $250,000, according to CBS News.

The company paid Surrey Satellite about $60,000 to design the red planet's first 'geostationary' satellite that would also be launched on the first mission.
To help fund the project, Mars One also launched an IndieGoGo crowd-funding campaign. The project raised $10,000 in the first hour and was at $27,000 early Wednesday.
A prison guard, a mother who home-schooled her children and a stand up comedian are among the 200,000 people from around the world who have applied to be among the first colonists on Mars.

Mars One campaign on IndieGoGo

The goal of the Mars One mission is to establish a permanent settlement on Mars. The nonprofit aims to send groups of four people to the Red Planet every two years, with the first group slated to launch in 2022. Lockheed Martin and SSTL have partnered with Mars One for the initial unmanned supply mission, planned to launch in 2018.

Mars One invited anyone over age 18 to apply to be an astronaut. About 165,000 people answered the first call for applications, which closed at the end of August. There will be four rounds of selection before the finalists are chosen.

200,000 people apply to live on Mars

Mars One estimates it will cost $6 billion to get the first four people to Mars, and $4 billion for each subsequent trip. The funding will come from sponsorships and exclusive partnerships, and the company recently announced a reality TV show to pay for the project. The foundation is also launching a crowd-funding campaign through the website Indiegogo. Contributors will earn the right to vote on several mission decisions, including the winners of STEM and university challenges, Mars One says.

"Our 2018 mission will change the way people view space exploration as they will have the opportunity to participate," Lansdorp said. "They will not only be spectators, but also participants."

Mars One plans unmanned mission for 2018

The foundation also plans to organize STEM-type challenges to involve younger students in a bid to "inspire kids into Mars exploration," Lansdorp said.

"This is very important for Mars One, because with these challenges on our unmanned missions we can inspire young students even before we send humans to Mars, which will, of course, be an even bigger source of inspiration on Earth."

Company planning mission to Mars