A Maritime man is one step closer to a life on Mars.

Tyler Reyno applied for the Mars One mission, started by a group of people who want to develop a human colony on the red planet by 2025.

The 21-year-old Lower Sackville, N.S. man recently received the news he has anxiously been waiting for - he has made it through the first round of cuts.

“I was thrilled,” says Reyno. “In fact, I could swear I smiled for over an hour. I literally could not help myself.”

Over 1,000 other aspiring astronauts willing to spend the rest of their lives on Mars have made the shortlist, narrowed down from over 200,000 applicants.

“To some, they may see that as a huge loss to their lives, but I, instead, consider it a chance to explore the universe,” says Reyno.

Reyno says he has a strategy to help him survive the next round of cuts.

“It’s really going to come down to making my mark on the project, with regards to increasing awareness and helping the project receive the funding that it needs. It is going to require billions of dollars to make this project a success,” says Reyno.

The amount of funding required for the project has some people doubting the Mars One Mission will ever make it off the ground. Reyno is skeptical himself, but he remains devoted to becoming an astronaut.

“If it isn’t Mars One, it is certainly going to be some other company, if not my own. I certainly think that space exploration is a big part of our future,” says Reyno.

Reyno has faced a few skeptics of his own and he admits some people, including family and friends, have called him crazy. However, they all say they are impressed with his hard work, dedication and passion.

“I’m really happy for him,” says Reyno’s brother Jordan. “I admire his ambition and his passion. I’m really proud of him.”

“The guy’s absolutely insane, but the way I look at it, he’s going up there with three other people, so there is a 25 per cent chance he becomes the ruler of his own planet and looking at it that way, I think it is worthwhile,” says Reyno’s roommate Ryan Cox.

“Whenever he puts his mind, anything, he can always do it,” says Reyno’s friend Taylor Williams. “So all joking aside, Tyler is definitely the guy to go ahead and be one of those four to make it to Mars, even if it is to live there.”

With files from CTV Atlantic's Matt Woodman