Artemis II timeline: When will rocket reach the moon? How long is the mission?

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - Artemis II successfully lifted off from Florida's Kennedy Space Center on April 1, the start of the crew's 10-day mission around the moon and back.

There are four astronauts on board – Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen – and "Rise," the zero gravity indicator designed by a second-grade California child.

Here is what you need to know about the mission, how long it takes to get to the moon, and a live NASA feed to track the mission in real time.

Artemis II live tracker

NASA has created the Artemis Real-time Orbit Website (AROW), where people can track the Orion spacecraft in real time. Click here to see where the spacecraft and the Artemis II astronauts are. 

As of 9:45 a.m., Orion was nearly 43,000 miles from Earth and 226,000 miles from the moon. The spacecraft was traveling at 2,100 mph.

Watch live: NASA video feed from Orion spacecraft

Here is a live video feed from the Orion spacecraft.

"Viewers will see a blue screen if there is a loss of signal, or if the bandwidth is needed for mission activities. Viewers may see what appears to be a black screen when the vehicle is in darkness."

Timeline: How long does it take to reach the moon?

NASA’s Artemis II mission will orbit Earth for a day, travel to the moon for a flyby beyond its far side, and then return along a free-return trajectory, culminating in Orion’s reentry and a Pacific Ocean splashdown.

1. Earth orbit (Day 1): The Artemis II astronauts will orbit Earth for one day to confirm all spacecraft systems are functioning properly. 
2. To the moon (Days 2–5): Orion’s main engine will fire to propel the capsule out of Earth orbit toward the moon, roughly 244,000 miles (393,000 kilometers) away. 
3. Moon flyby (Day 6): Orion will reach its farthest point from Earth, passing about 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometers) beyond the moon. Astronauts are expected to document the flyby with cameras and smartphones before heading back to Earth. 
4. Return (Days 6–9): Using a free-return trajectory, Orion will use the moon’s and Earth’s gravity to guide the spacecraft safely home. 
5. Reentry: The service module separates, and the capsule re-enters Earth’s atmosphere, facing temperatures up to 3,000°F (1,650°C). 
6. Splashdown: The Artemis II crew will parachute into the Pacific Ocean, completing the mission much like Apollo astronauts did decades ago.