how fast will artemis 2 travel

Artemis II is expected to travel about 25,000 mph on its fastest leg, especially during reentry, which is roughly 40,000 km/h. It will also need to reach around 17,500 mph to achieve Earth orbit, depending on the phase of the mission.

Quick Scoop

The mission’s headline speed comes near the end: as Orion returns from its lunar flyby, NASA expects it to hit slightly over 25,000 mph in Earth’s atmosphere. That would make the Artemis II crew the fastest humans ever in terms of reentry speed.

In numbers

• Around 17,500 mph to reach and maintain orbit around Earth.

• About 24,500 mph as Orion is boosted higher on its way out.

• Slightly over 25,000 mph on return, at peak reentry speed.

• About 40,000 km/h is the metric equivalent often cited for that peak speed.

If you want, I can also explain why Artemis II gets so much faster than a normal Earth-orbit mission.