Science · 24 August 2026

Artemis II rocket crawled at under 1 mph, returned at 25,000 mph

The Artemis II mission showcased extreme speed differences, with its rocket crawling to the launchpad before the Orion capsule returned from the Moon over 30,000 times faster. NASA's Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft took nearly 12 hours to travel four miles to the launchpad. Four astronauts, including Reid Wiseman and Christina Koch, returned in the Orion capsule at about 25,000 miles per hour.

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