Artemis II, NASA's upcoming crewed lunar flyby mission launching today (April 1, 2026), will reach the Moon's vicinity in about 3-4 days , peaking at speeds around 28,000-40,000 km/h (17,500 mph) during its trans-lunar injection phase.

Mission Speed Profile

The Orion spacecraft accelerates rapidly post-launch via the SLS rocket:

  • T+3 minutes : ~4,990 km/h (3,100 mph) after fairing jettison.
  • T+8 minutes : ~28,160 km/h (17,500 mph) at main engine cutoff.
  • Peak cruise : Up to 40,000 km/h (25,000 mph) en route, matching Apollo-era velocities for free-return trajectory.
  • Reentry : ~40,000 km/h (25,000 mph), shattering records.

These aren't constant speeds—Orion coasts most of the way using gravity assists, not sustained thrust.

Orion's path slingshots around the Moon's far side at ~6,500 km closest approach, then hurtles back in a 10-day loop.

Journey Timeline

  1. Day 1 : Earth orbit checks, then trans-lunar injection burn.
  2. Days 2-4 : Cruise to lunar vicinity (arrival ~April 6).
  1. Day 6 : Flyby peak, 7,600 km beyond Moon—new human distance record.
  1. Days 7-10 : Return, splashdown after 9 days, 1 hour.

From Artemis I's uncrewed test: Total distance ~1.4 million miles at similar profiles.

Crew & Context

Commander Reid Wiseman , Pilot Victor Glover (first Black astronaut to Moon vicinity), Christina Koch (first woman), and Jeremy Hansen (first non-U.S. citizen) helm this historic flight—first crewed deep space since Apollo 17 (1972).

Trending Buzz : Forums like Reddit's r/space explode with hype: "Faster than Apollo? Nah, but safer tech!" Launch livestreams dominate X.[ context]

"Artemis II bridges robotic tests to human lunar return—speeds feel 'retro' but radiation shielding is light-years ahead." —NASA briefer

Artemis I Comparison

Mission| Launch| Duration| Peak Speed| Distance
---|---|---|---|---
Artemis I (2022)| Nov 16| 25 days| ~39,500 km/h reentry| 1.4M miles 5
Artemis II (2026)| Apr 1| 10 days| ~40,000 km/h reentry| ~500K+ miles 7

Shorter trip prioritizes crew safety over exploration.

TL;DR : Artemis hits lunar speeds of 25,000-28,000 mph in days, not hours—gravity-powered efficiency wins.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.