Artemis II: How long does it take an astronaut to reach the moon?
Artemis II is already in space, but how long will it take for astronauts to reach the moon? Here are the details of this NASA mission.
Artemis II successfully launched last Wednesday, April 1, and is now underway on its mission to return humans to the Moon. Four astronauts lifted off from Florida’s Space Coast aboard a rocket that had never before carried a human crew.
It will mark the first crewed journey to the Moon in 54 years. Many people may wonder why it took so long to go back. The answer is that the United States had other space priorities. First came the Space Shuttle program, then the International Space Station, and later a growing focus on Mars.
The last time a human being stood on the Moon was on December, 1972, when Eugene Cernan walked on the lunar surface as commander of Apollo 17.
How long does it take an astronaut to reach the Moon?
So how long does the trip actually take?
Apollo 17, the last mission to travel to the Moon, took about 86 hours and 14 minutes to reach its destination after launching on December 7, 1972.
Apollo 11, the first successful crewed mission to land astronauts on the Moon, took about 4 days, 6 hours, and 45 minutes from launch to lunar orbit.
Apollo 8, the first crewed spacecraft to leave Earth’s gravitational field and orbit the Moon, took 69 hours and 8 minutes, or just under 3 days, to enter lunar orbit.
It’s not a straight shot to the far side of the Moon! 🌕
— NASA (@NASA) April 2, 2026
Over approximately 10 days, the Artemis II astronauts will orbit Earth twice before looping around the far side of the Moon in a figure eight and returning home. pic.twitter.com/udjejhxgVx
The Artemis II mission is expected to last 10 days in total. The astronauts aboard the rocket are expected to reach the Moon’s sphere of influence on day 5 of the mission, and return to Earth on April 10.
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