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For Earth–Mars trips, the period is every 26 months (2 years, 2 months), so missions are typically planned to coincide with one of these launch periods. Due to the eccentricity of Mars's orbit, the energy needed in the low-energy periods varies on roughly a 15-year cycle [5] with the easiest periods needing only half the energy of the peaks. [6]
"The Mars departure window is limited to roughly a month by the alignment of the planets," said Metzger. "Musk plans to send five Starships to Mars in the first cycle, so that will require about ...
[4] [5] A launch period refers to the days that the rocket can launch to reach its intended orbit. A mission could have a period of 365 days in a year, a few weeks each month, [6] a few weeks every 26 months (e.g. Mars launch periods), [7] or a short period time that won't be repeated.
Elon Musk said on X that he envisions Starships making uncrewed trips to Mars by 2026 before astronauts head to the Red Planet two years later. Elon Musk says human could reach Mars in 4 years ...
Earlier this month, Musk had said that the first Starships to Mars would launch in two years "when the next Earth-Mars transfer window opens." Musk, known for providing changing timelines on ...
Additionally, a more massive crewed spacecraft, such as the Orion spacecraft, could reach Mars in one month, compared to the traditional requirement of at least 5 months. [7] However, News Ledge notes that this short transfer time would require a second array of lasers already existing on Mars to slow vehicles down for Mars orbital insertion. [8]
In April, Musk, who founded SpaceX in 2002, said the first uncrewed starship to land on Mars would be within five years, with the first people landing on Mars within seven years.
Extra-close oppositions of Mars happen every 15 to 17 years, when we pass between Mars and the Sun around the time of its perihelion (closest point to the Sun in orbit). The minimum distance between Earth and Mars has been declining over the years, and in 2003 the minimum distance was 55.76 million km, nearer than any such encounter in almost ...