Delays at checkpoints in and out of the West Bank meant a lorry could take four days to complete atrip that would otherwise take no more than two hours each way.
The Mars Inspiration team is aiming for a January 2018 launch because it coincides with a close alignment of Mars and Earth, such that a round trip would take about a year-and-a half, or 501 days - whereas outside of this window such atrip might take two or three years .