A 19-year-old girl from Palakkad in Kerala state is among three Indian candidates shortlisted for the final round of selection to despatch human settlers to planet Mars.
The mechanical engineering student is the lone candidate based in India selected by Netherland-based Mars-One for the fourth round of the astronaut selection process, the organization said.
From the other three Indians, two are based in the US and one in Dubai.
Out of 202,586 applicants, 100 qualified for the third round. Of these, 24 will be chosen by Mars-One for the mission, a Times of India report said today.
Mars-One is a non-profit organization based in the Netherlands. It aims to establish a permanent human settlement on Mars by offering a one-way trip to those selected.
The current plan envisages crews of four departing every two years beginning 2024. The first unmanned flight is slated for lift-off in 2018.