How does SpaceX plan to get us to Mars? This video explores Elon Musk’s vision, from reusable rockets to the innovative Hohmann transfer orbit, paving the way for affordable space travel.

The transfer the satellite is following is different from the usual Hohmann transfer, in which an object spirals out in its orbit around the Earth until it ends up in orbit around the moon.

That method, however, requires a heavy heat shield, which adds extra mass and thus costs to liftoff, offsetting the penny-pinching on fuel for a Hohmann transfer burn on arrival. Ballistic capture ...

Above: MAVEN was launched into a Hohmann Transfer Orbit with periapsis at Earth’s orbit and apoapsis at the distance of the orbit of Mars. Credit: NASA ...

Both spacecraft used a Hohmann transfer orbit-- a special trajectory to Mars that is only available every 26 months -- to get there with minimal fuel consumption.

In order to reach Mars in the quickest and most effective way, NASA’s Orion spacecraft will follow the Hohmann transfer orbit — the path that requires the least amount of energy.

Space agencies typically send missions to Mars once every several years, depending on the need for scientific exploration and the technological capabilities at that specific point in time. But while ...