Why does it take 4 years to get to Mars in the Martian?
Matthew Perez
Updated on April 18, 2026
That's because Mars is much farther away from the sun than Earth is, so it takes a lot longer for the red planet to complete its orbit.
Why does it take 4 years to get to Mars?
In the nine months it takes to get to Mars, Mars moves a considerable distance around in its orbit, about 3/8 of the way around the Sun. You have to plan ahead to make sure that by the time you reach the distance of Mar's orbit, that Mars is where you need it to be!How long did it take them to get to Mars in The Martian?
The slow path to MarsThis configuration, paired with the spacecraft technology available today, would result in a flight time of about 234 days using a Hohmann transfer.