Today, satellite launches no longer surprise anyone, and even crewed space missions are no longer something extraordinary at a time when anyone with enough money in their bank account can purchase a tourist ticket to space. Of course, a tourist space flight is still a distant dream for most people, considering the ticket cost that ranges from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars. And yet, a few years back, even the theoretical possibility of travelling to space on a private ship did not exist.
Now, technology is developing at such a pace that all those conversations about space travel and the colonisation of distant planets no longer seem impossible. But how long does it take to get to space, assuming more people will eventually have a chance to go there? The answer to that will depend on many different factors, including the spacecraft we travel on and the trajectory we use. If our goal is the official border of space, the Karman line 100 km above our planet, the trip on a rocket already lasts 3-4 minutes! But what if it aimed a little further?
How long does it take to get to each planet in the solar system?
Assuming we do get a chance to get to space one of these days, how long would it take to reach other planets in the solar system? Here, a lot will depend on the flight trajectory, current distance to a destination planet (because this distance is never static), and of course, spacecraft speed, usually defined by the propulsion a spacecraft uses. That’s quite a lot of ifs for now, so the best thing we can do is to use the data we already have — based on past unmanned missions to solar system planets.
How long does it take to get to Mercury and Venus?
The average distance to Mercury is 77 million km, and it took NASA’s MESSENGER almost seven years to overcome it. Our distance to Venus is shorter, around 40 million km, and NASA spacecraft take four to six months to cover this distance. Why such a huge discrepancy in flight times, then? Mercury is way closer to the Sun, which is why probes have to carry out a series of gravitational manoeuvres to overcome our star’s strong pull first – and it takes time.
How long does it take to get to Mars and Jupiter?
Mars, our closest neighbour, is located 225 million km from Earth and is our most explored destination. Currently, it takes spacecraft 6-9 months to get there. However, the trip could be considerably shorter if SpaceX gets its way (which it usually does as past developments are any indicator). According to space news online magazine Orbital Today, it could take Starship 115 days to reach the Red Planet on the most favourable trajectory. With Jupiter located 714 million km away, this time is obviously longer — from two to six years, based on NASA’s past missions.
How long would it take to get to Saturn and Uranus?
Saturn is located 1.2 billion km away, and the fastest spacecraft to reach it today was the first probe sent to the gas giant, Voyager-1. The first trip took slightly over three years, but consequent journeys were considerably longer, lasting up to seven years in the case of CASSINI. Uranus, with its 2.9 billion km distance from Earth, is an even more challenging destination. Here, the record holder is Voyager-2, which took 8.5 years to overcome this distance. Still, based on NASA’s calculations, the trip may last up to twelve years.
How long does it take to get to Neptune from Earth?
Over four billion km separate Neptune from Earth, so this journey would take 12 or more years. Once again, the famous Voyager 2 was the first to reach the distant planet, but let’s not forget that very few probes have been sent that far — so the speed competition wasn’t too fierce.
Now, hypothetically — how long would it take to travel around the entire solar system? Thousands of years! At least with the technology we have now. But are there any new developments?
When will mass space travel begin?
Even though we’ve made significant progress in space travel, humanity is still in the early days of cosmic exploration. The honest answer is that no one can say for sure – but we are already making the first steps in this direction. Right now, we still face a series of challenges, such as the lack of passenger safety regulations or the absence of necessary infrastructure (simply put, launch sites) for routine travel. And if we’re completely frank – at the moment, there is not much need for such extreme trips.
At the same time, as propulsion technologies advance and the travel time decreases, colonies and new job opportunities might appear, stimulating the social and economic demand for space travel. And even though this still sounds science fiction-y, only a few years ago, so was space tourism! So, stay tuned for more posts because things are developing at rocket speed.
Author: Emma Thorpe
