SPACE — If you wanted to travel to Jupiter, how long would it take? The answer depends on a number of factors, from the position of Earth and Jupiter to the technology you’ll use to get there.
Here, we will discuss the duration of a trip to Jupiter using currently available technology, and how past missions have traveled to the Jovian environment. Currently, the fastest spacecraft to reach Jupiter is NASA’s New Horizons. It flew to the gas giant in 405 days or 1 year, 1 month and 9 days when it flew in 2007.
How Far is Jupiter from Earth?
To determine how long it will take to reach Jupiter, we must first know the distance between Earth and the gas giant. Jupiter is the fifth planet from the sun, but the distance between Earth and Jupiter is constantly changing as they orbit the sun in an elliptical or oval path.
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When the two planets are closest to each other, the distance to Jupiter is 365 million miles (588 million kilometers). At the farthest point in its orbit, the gas giant is 601 million miles (968 million km) away. According to the science communication website The Nine Planetsthe average distance between Earth and Jupiter is 444 million miles (714 million km).
If it’s the speed of light, how long will it take to get to Jupiter?
Light travels at about 186,282 miles per second (299,792 km per second). Therefore, the light shining from Jupiter takes the following time to reach Earth or vice versa:
– Shortest approach: 33 minutes
– Farthest approach: 54 minutes
– Average distance: 40 minutes
Current Fastest Spaceship
The fastest spacecraft is NASA’s Parker Solar Probe, which continues to break its own speed records as it approaches the sun. On November 21, 2021, Parker Solar Probe achieved a top speed of 101 miles (163 kilometers) per second during its 10th close flight from our star. That means its speed is 364,621 mph (586,000 kph).
According to NASA, when the Parker Solar Probe comes within 4 million miles (6.2 million kilometers) of the sun’s surface in December 2024, the spacecraft’s speed will be 430,000 miles per hour (692,000 km/h).
So, say, if you could theoretically hitch a ride on Parker Solar Probe and take a detour from its sun-focused mission, turn in a straight line to Jupiter. If the trip was at the speed the probe achieved on its 10th flyby (101 miles per second), the time it would take you to get to Jupiter would be:
– Closest approach: 42 days
– Farthest approach: 69 days
– Average distance: 51 days
Problems in Calculating Jupiter’s Travel Time
Of course, the problem with the previous calculations was basing the distance between the two planets as a straight line. If you travel between Earth and Jupiter when they are at their furthest away, the journey will involve a direct path through the sun. Because of this, every spacecraft must move in an orbit around the sun.
However, the scientists’ calculations take into account not only the distance required to travel, but also the fuel efficiency of any given spacecraft. Long-distance travel uses gravity-assisted maneuvers to propel the spacecraft toward its destination.
According to NASA, their Jupiter explorer mission Juno made a flyby of Earth two years after its launch to increase the speed of the spacecraft so it could reach the gas giants. ESA’s newly launched Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) mission will receive three times the Earth’s gravity assist and one Venus’ gravitational pull before reaching the Jovian environment.
How Long Does the Mission Take to Get to Jupiter?
Here is a list of how long the previous missions took to reach Jupiter as well as the approximate time it will take for future missions. Note how long it takes for missions orbiting Jupiter (such as Galileo and Juno) compared to those launched with the aim of sailing straight past it.
– Pioneer 10: 642 days, or 1 year 9 months and 2 days
– Pioneer 11: 606 days, or 1 year 7 months and 27 days
– Voyager 1: 546 days, or 1 year 6 months
– Voyager 2: 688 days, or 1 year 10 months and 19 days
– Galileo: 2,241 days, or 6 years 1 month and 19 days
– Ulysses: 490 days, or 1 year 4 months and 2 days
– Cassini-Huygens: 1,172 days, or 3 years 2 months and 15 days
– New Horizons: 405 days, or 1 year 1 month and 9 days
– Juno: 1,796 days, or 4 years and 11 months
– Estimated travel time of the next mission: JUICE: 8 years and Europa Clipper: 5 years 6 months.
Source: Space.com
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