How Long Does It Take To Get To Outer Space

How long does it take to get to space? Astronauts reveal how long it actually takes

Even older shuttles will get you into space pretty quickly

The Russian Soyuz booster rocket FG with Soyuz MS-07 spacecraft lifts off from the launch pad at Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan (

Image: EPA)

The trick to any space launch is getting the spacecraft off the ground in the first place.

It takes a lot of energy to fight back against the Earth's gravitational pull. But once you've started - you're going to go up pretty quickly.

So, how long does it take to get into space?

Firstly, let's definite what "space" is. If we're talking about the end of the Earth's atmosphere, it's generally accepted to be about 100km (62 miles) upwards. This is called the Karman Line. It means you've gone past the Thermosphere and are now into the Exosphere.

For a bit of context, the International Space Station is orbiting the planet at between 435km (205 miles) and 435km (270 miles) of altitude.

How long does it take to get to space?

The Long March-2F carrier rocket carrying China's Shenzhou-11 manned spacecraft blasts off from the launch pad (

Image:

Barcroft)

The American shuttle - which has now been retired - would cross the Karman Line at two minutes and 30 seconds after launch.

It would get up to the altitude of the International Space Shuttle and into proper orbit after about eight minutes and thirty seconds.

Russian Soyuz rockets would make the trip in about the same time.

For a bit of a comparison, SpaceX's Falcon Heavy (the most powerful operational rocket in the world) launch crossed the Karman Line after 3 minutes and 24 seconds.

It was carrying an electric sports car and backed it up with 2.9 million pounds of thrust from a couple of rocket boosters and a core engine. That's roughly equivalent to 18 Boeing 747 jumbo jets all facing directly upwards.

How does it feel for the astronauts?

Russia's brand new Soyuz rocket lifts off from Baikonur, taking 3-man crew to ISS (

Image:

Barcroft)

Getting into space is a pretty demanding journey - and it takes a physical and mental toll on astronauts.

"If you think about it, we're accelerating a 4-1/2 million pound system from zero miles per hour to its orbital velocity of 17,500 miles per hour in those 8-1/2 minutes. So it's a heck of a ride for the astronauts," explained Mike Leinbach, a launch director at NASA.

"They typically experience about three times the force of gravity during most of the ascent, and once we reach orbit, when the main engines cut off, they go from that three-G acceleration to zero acceleration virtually instantaneously, and that's when they become weightless on orbit.

Staying in orbit

Once astronauts are in orbit and aboard the space station, they have to keep it going at a certain speed to stay up there.

Otherwise you start getting space stations raining down on the planet.

The ISS is moving at 28,163 kph (17,500mph) in orbit around the Earth.

Of course, the astronauts aboard won't feel this speed - the only sign they have is looking down to see planet Earth rotating beneath them.

Will regular people get to go into space?

One day - but probably not for a long time.

Amusingly, one US-based start-up company has an ambitious plan to launch a "luxury hotel" into low-Earth orbit.

The "Aurora Station" will give space tourists an amazing view of planet of Earth and is supposed to be an "affordable" way for citizens to enjoy space.

Of course, with a twelve night stay aboard starting at around $9.5 million (£6.8 million) we'd take issue with the affordable part.

"We are launching the first-ever affordable luxury space hotel," said Frank Bunger, the CEO and founder of Orion Span - the start-up behind the idea.

Speaking at the Space 2.0 Summit in San Jose, California, Bunger explained that the company was building the hotel itself and that, when finished, it'll be about the size of a large private jet.