Mars One, a Dutch nonprofit, has announced 100 people who will remain in the running for a one-way trip to establish human life on Mars in 2024.

"There are 50 men and 50 women who successfully passed the second round. The candidates come from all around the world, namely 39 from the Americas, 31 from Europe, 16 from Asia, 7 from Africa, and 7 from Oceania," the nonprofit said in a statement.

More than 200,000 people applied for the chance to live out their lives on Mars.

If everything goes according to plan, Mars One will be the first organization to place humans on the planet. The organization plans to launch people into space, land them on Mars and try to keep them alive for the rest of their lives, reports the Washington Post.

While the plan may sound far-fetched, in December 2013, Colorado-based aerospace giant Lockheed Martin Space Systems agreed to partner with the nonprofit to develop an unmanned spacecraft to land on Mars.

The private project to establish a permanent human colony on Mars is led by 37-year-old Dutch entrepreneur Bas Lansdorp, who announced the Mars One mission in May 2012. His goal, it seems, is to beat The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the space programs of other counties in landing the first human on Mars.

According to the Washington Post, NASA has no plans to attempt a human-astronaut landing on Mars until the 2030s.

"The astronauts on the International Space Station switch out every couple of months and go back home to family," Norbert Kraft, Mars One's chief medical officer, said in a January interview. "In our case, the astronauts will live together in a group for the rest of their lives."

Kraft interviewed 660 candidates who said they were prepared to leave everything on Earth to live on Mars. The applications were open to anyone over age 18.

Mars One explained what the 100 candidates can expect next:

"The following selection rounds will focus on composing teams that can endure all the hardships of a permanent settlement on Mars. The candidates will receive their first shot at training in the copy of the Mars Outpost on Earth and will demonstrate their suitability to perform well in a team," Mars One said.

Mars One will be televising the competition as it narrows the group down to 24. The remaining 24 people will be divided into six teams of four that will compete to be the most prepared group to leave for Mars in 2024.

Mars One released a trailer for the televised competition, but no air date has been announced.

The cost to send the initial four people to Mars is estimated at $6 billion.

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