Mars has been a target of Earth for several decades. First, probes were sent to examine it, and now they are even evaluating what it would be like to live there. But, how long does it take to travel between the red and blue planets?
All depends.
The first thing to know is the position of the two planets in their orbits around the Sun, as well explained by the Space portal. On average, they are separated by about 225 million kilometers.
But the speed of the spacecraft must also be known. That is why SpaceX, with Elon Musk at the helm, is working on the development of Starship, the most powerful rocket in history, which will serve to travel to both the Moon and Mars.
Starship has two reusable stages, 150 tons usable mass towards the Moon or Mars, 120 meters in total length, takeoff mass 4,400 tons, 33 Raptor engines in the booster (providing 7,600 tons of takeoff thrust) and 6 engines in the craft.
In his most famous test, where it exploded, reached in its first minute of takeoff l1,000 kilometers per hour until reaching double that speed 60 seconds later.
Travel time between Mars and Earth
We return to the starting point: How long does it take to travel between Mars and Earth?
The journey between Mars and Earth it takes about 6 months. However, the time can vary between 5 and 9 months, depending on the relative position of the two planets.
Spacecraft traveling to Mars at the highest possible speed can reach the planet in about 6 months. But the ones that do it at a slower speed they can take up to 9 months to reach Mars.
For example, the Mariner 4 probe, which flew to Mars in 1965, took 225 days. Its successors, Mariner 6 and 7 (1969), they did it in 128 days (almost 4 months, absolute record).
Viking 1 and 2 (1976) did it in 300 days; Pathfinder (1997), in 8 months; Curiosity (2011), in 8 months and Perseverance (2021) in 7 months.
How long would Starship need at its highest speed? We will see it in a few years, possibly.