A regular Earth-Mars service creates a fleet requirement. With voyages lasting roughly six to nine months, monthly outbound and inbound movements keep many ships in transit at once. The estimate reaches about twenty large transports once deep-maintenance and emergency-response reserves are included. Those inactive hulls are part of the operating system even though they are not carrying the month's passengers. Adding planet-landing capability to every expensive transit ship would increase the cost further and weaken the case for specialization.
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A Mars conveyor needs fleet-scale reserves
Monthly departures and returns imply roughly twenty large transports, including hulls held back for deep maintenance and emergency response.