3 months transit time to Mars for human missions using SpaceX Starship

Historically, spacecraft have followed trajectories that took between six and nine months to reach Mars, using traditional chemical propulsion on roughly Hohmann transfers. It is commonly believed that advances in propulsion technology, such as nuclear thermal or VASIMR, are necessary to reduce that transit time. In this paper, we show the feasibility of transit to Mars using the SpaceX Starship taking 90 days. We outline two trajectories that reduce each transit to between 90 and 104 days each way. These trajectories are within NASA career radiation limits, while 180-day trajectories are not.

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Publication Details

Journal
Scientific Reports
Published
2025-05-22
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-00565-7
Citations
2
Primary Topic
Spaceflight effects on biology
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
2.33
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article

3 months transit time to Mars for human missions using SpaceX Starship

J. Kingdon
2 citations
Scientific Reports
Spaceflight effects on biology
2.33
article

3 months transit time to Mars for human missions using SpaceX Starship

J. Kingdon
article en
2 citations

Abstract

Historically, spacecraft have followed trajectories that took between six and nine months to reach Mars, using traditional chemical propulsion on roughly Hohmann transfers. It is commonly believed that advances in propulsion technology, such as nuclear thermal or VASIMR, are necessary to reduce that transit time. In this paper, we show the feasibility of transit to Mars using the SpaceX Starship taking 90 days. We outline two trajectories that reduce each transit to between 90 and 104 days each way. These trajectories are within NASA career radiation limits, while 180-day trajectories are not.

Scientific ReportsVol. 15(1)
University of California, Santa Barbara (US)
Openalex Percentile: Top 12%
Spaceflight effects on biology
2.33
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