How long will the Orion spacecraft take to reach Mars?

According to NASA, a vessel with humans on it would take roughly six months to travel to Mars and another six months to travel back from Mars. Astronauts would stay on Mars for another 18 months to allow for planetary realignment. read more

Ask New Question Jeff Nosanov, 5 years working for NASA JPL doing lots of different things. read more

Similar in shape to the Apollo spacecraft, Orion is supposed to carry up to six astronauts to destinations such as a captured asteroid or within reach of Mars. But this will be an upgrade to Apollo, with the newer, and much larger, spacecraft sporting electronics decades more advanced than what astronauts used to fly to the moon. read more

As it is, it’s not possible for the Orion spacecraft to get to Uranus, let alone reach the outer edge of the Sun’s Hill Sphere. We are trapped inside our solar system for the time being. You might as well have asked how long it would take to drive your motorhome across the ocean floor from San Francisco to Tokyo. read more

If the spacecraft looks a little cramped for a 6- to 9-month trip, that's because the capsule won't be going to Mars alone. The plan is to launch Orion from Earth and, once in space, have it dock with a larger habitat module (whose design is still TBD) before beginning its journey to Mars. read more