Space Travel Time Calculator
Example: Moon @ rocket speed = 9.6 hours
How long would it take to walk to the Moon or fly to Mars at rocket speed? This calculator shows travel times to several space destinations at speeds ranging from walking pace to the speed of light. Planets never stop moving, so each one uses the separation at ideal alignment: its average distance from the Sun minus Earth's own.
Calculation results updated
Travel time to each destination
Travel Time
Distance
Speed
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How We Calculate This
Travel time = distance ÷ speed. The Moon uses its mean orbital distance (384,400 km). Every planet uses its NASA mean distance from the Sun minus Earth's 149.6 million km, the separation at ideal alignment: Mercury 91.7, Venus 41.4, Mars 78.4, Jupiter 628.9, Saturn 1,282.4 and Neptune 4,365.4 million km. Proxima Centauri is 4.2465 light years. Voyager 1's speed is NASA's current 17.0 km/s (61,200 km/h). Speeds are treated as constant, so these are order-of-magnitude comparisons, not mission plans.
Methodology last reviewed: September 2026. How SparkCalc works
Sources: NASA Science: Our Solar System: Planets · NASA Science: Parker Solar Probe · NASA Science: Earth's Moon: Facts · NASA NSSDC Planetary Fact Sheet (mean distance from Sun) · NASA Science: Voyager 1 (current speed relative to the Sun)
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do distances vary for planets?
Planets orbit the Sun at different rates, so their distance from Earth constantly changes. Mars alone swings between about 78 and 400 million km. Every planet here uses the same rule, its average distance from the Sun minus Earth's 149.6 million km, which is the separation at ideal alignment and the distance a mission would actually aim for. The Moon's distance is relatively stable.
What's the fastest spacecraft ever?
The Parker Solar Probe, which rounds the Sun at roughly 692,000 km/h (430,000 mph) at closest approach, about 0.064% of light speed. Voyager 1, the farthest spacecraft, travels at about 61,200 km/h. Both are still tiny fractions of light speed.
Could we ever reach light speed?
According to Einstein's relativity, no object with mass can reach the speed of light. As you approach light speed, the energy required increases toward infinity.
How long did it take to reach the Moon?
Apollo 11 entered lunar orbit about 76 hours after launch in 1969, a little over three days. It left Earth far faster than it arrived, slowing as it climbed out of Earth's gravity, so its average speed over the trip was roughly 5,000 km/h rather than the steady rocket speed used here.
What about Proxima Centauri?
Proxima Centauri is the nearest star to our Sun at 4.2465 light years. Even at Voyager 1's speed, it would take about 75,000 years to reach it.
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