Planning a trip to Titan but not sure how much fuel you’ll need? Worry not! Here’s a convenient map showing the required delta-v to get from place to place in the solar system!

Delta-v is shorthand meaning change in velocity (otherwise known as acceleration). Essentially, a spacecraft requires a certain change in velocity to perform any kind of maneuver, whether it’s the tiny changes needed to carefully dock a Dragon to the ISS, or the huge changes needed to send a robot to Jupiter.

As you can see from the numbers, getting a craft to neighbouring Mars and Venus is a lot easier than getting a craft to anywhere further afield. A planet’s gravity well has a significant effect on the delta-v needed too. Just compare the requirements getting something into low Mars orbit to low Jupiter orbit and you’ll see why NASA were so pleased with themselves over the success of the Juno mission!

Image created by Ulysse Carion.