Los Angeles, Apr 13 (IANS): Star Trek star William Shatner, who recently became the oldest man sent to space, will be serving as Mission Control in the upcoming competition series 'Stars on Mars'.

The series will see a group of celebrities prepare for take-off for the red planet, where they will live, eat, sleep, strategise, and bond with each other in the same space station, reports Deadline.

During their stay, they will be faced with authentic conditions that simulate life on Mars, and they must use their brains and brawn - or maybe just their stellar social skills - to outlast the competition and claim the title of brightest star in the galaxy. The celebrities will compete in missions and will vote to eliminate one of their crewmates each week, sending them back to Earth.

The series will premiere on Fox from June 5.

Stars on Mars is produced by Holey Moley producer Eureka Productions, whose Chris Culvenor created the format. Culvenor, Paul Franklin, Wes Dening and Eden Gaha will exec produce alongside Charles Wachter, who also serves as showrunner. Eureka owner Fremantle holds international distribution rights to the format.

"The moment I heard the pitch for Stars on Mars, I knew a show this bold, this big and this outlandish simply belonged on Fox," said Allison Wallach, President of Unscripted Programming, Fox Entertainment. "Watching celebrities take giant leaps out of their comfort zone and step into the unexpected will no doubt be truly transformational and comical. Throughout, we will learn a lot about these stars, and when you factor in William Shatner leading the charge from Mission Control, we have the makings of a show that's ready for blast off."

"Good news for our celebronauts from Mission Control," added Shatner.

"Thanks to lower gravity on Mars, you'll weigh 62 per cent less. Bad news: the air is unbreathable, so if you're from LA, it'll remind you of home."