How long does it take to travel to Mars?
So far all travel to Mars has been done by Hohmann orbits that use under a year, between 7 to 11 months. The cheaper orbits, in terms of energy expenditure, are slower but allow heavier payloads.. The space craft are put into Hohmann orbits with a single main burn out of earth orbit and some correction burns during flight. The craft then coast until arrival. These flight times are simply limited by economics and fuel efficiency. The times can be cut down dramatically by using different combinations of technology on the edge of being available right now. SOlar sailing is a real and interesting possibility. Once the space craft is put into an intersecting orbit the sails can start catching the suns solar push and keep accelerating, to almost the half way point. The rate of acceleration is low but it is constant. The orbit would have to be constantly adjusting its path but the time could be shortened a lot and still save combustible fuel. Solar sailing is less efficient near Mars (farther
Typically an unmanned probed takes 9 to 11 months to reach Mars on a minimum energy, fuel-efficient trajectory. It is hoped that crewed missions can have the time reduced to 6 months (in each direction) in order to minimise the time spent in micro gravity and the exposure to solar and cosmic radiation. Return to top.
