The Road to Mars

Getting humans to Mars means solving challenges no mission has faced before:

• A one-way trip takes 7 to 9 months with today's propulsion
• Radiation is among the biggest health risks outside Earth's magnetic field
• A communication delay of up to 24 minutes each way demands a self-sufficient crew
• Perseverance and Ingenuity are pathfinders gathering critical surface data
• Crews will make fuel and extract resources on Mars using ISRU

The first crewed Mars mission will be the most complex expedition in history. The question is no longer whether humans will reach Mars, but when.