Artemis II has officially launched, and the crew of the Orion spacecraft is on its way to the moon! Now that the NASA project has had a successful liftoff from Florida, everyone back on Earth is eager to learn more about the mission, including how long it will take our astronauts to get to the moon for orbit.
Learn how long it will take the Artemis II crew to reach the moon and more about their mission below.
Who Is in the Artemis 2 Crew?
Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen are in the Artemis II crew on their way to the moon!
Glover and Koch, specifically, are making history as the first woman (Koch) and first Black man (Glover) to travel near the moon. However, Koch and Glover have pointed out that their mission is a collective one, not about their individual significance in the history books.
“It’s not about celebrating any one individual,” Koch said during the crew’s final press conference before the April 1 launch. “If there’s something to celebrate, it’s that we are at a time when anyone who has a dream gets to work equally hard to achieve that dream. If we’re not going for all and by all, we’re not truly answering all of humanity’s call to explore.”
Glover echoed Koch’s sentiment and said, “I live in this dichotomy between happiness that a young woman can look at Christina and just physicalize her passion or her interests … that young brown boys and girls can look at me and go, ‘Hey, he looks like me, and he’s doing what?’ And that’s great. I love that.”
“But I also hope we are pushing the other direction, that one day we don’t have to talk about these firsts, that one day this is human history, the story of humanity, not Black history, not women’s history,” Glover added.
How Long Does it Take to Get to the Moon?
It can take at least three days to reach the moon, per NASA. Apollo 8 took about three days to reach it.
When Will Artemis 2 Get to the Moon?
Artemis II is expected to reach the moon for orbit on day 6 of its mission.
How Long Will Artemis 2 Be in Space?
The crew of Artemis II is scheduled to be in space for a total of 10 days. The crew is expected to splash down in the ocean on the 10th day.
