The International Astronomical Union (IAU) is not supporting the move of a start-up company Uwingu to offer the public an opportunity to name a crater on Mars starting $5. With IAU not supporting the move, there are chances that the project may fall into jeopardy.

"In the light of recent events, where the possibility of buying the rights to name exoplanets has been advertised, the International Astronomical Union wishes to inform the public that such schemes have no bearing on the official naming process", they said in a statement.

The statement added that some enterprises may be claiming that such services are available for a fee, but as a matter of fact, such names have no formal or official validity whatsoever.

It said that no company has been officially declared as the owner of the rights to name the craters and as of now, the IAU has not provided with any exclusive official naming rights to astronomical objects.

Mars One is aiming at colonizing the planet Mars by 2024 and naming a crater on the Mars has really enticed people to name a crater there for just five dollars, who knows may be the first colonists live in someone's named Martian Crater.

The public has been offered a chance to name craters on the Red Planet by Uwingu, a small company launched in 2012. There are some rules to name the crater on Mars, including the names cannot be profane, pejorative, or offensive. Duplicate names can also be used but the craters sharing the name should not be close to each other.

In order to simplify the naming process, Uwingu has divided its Mars maps into districts and provinces. The money raised from the project will be used for space exploration, education and research projects.