4 ms·
Apollo 17 launched at 12:33am on Dec 7th 1972, and entered lunar orbit at 2:47pm EST on Dec 10th, so, roughly 3.5 days. Artemis I launched at 1:47am EST on Nov
by api_or_ipa 4y ago
Apollo 17 launched at 12:33am on Dec 7th 1972, and entered lunar orbit at 2:47pm EST on Dec 10th, so, roughly 3.5 days.
Artemis I launched at 1:47am EST on Nov 16 and entered lunar orbit on Nov 20th at 2:09pm ET so roughly 4.5 days. Remember too that Artemis I isn't meant for a landing, instead it entered a distant retrograde orbit which orbits at a considerably higher distance from the surface. Spacecraft move considerably slower at higher apogees, so I don't think there's anything suspect about Artemis I taking a bit longer to reach it's planned orbit around the Moon.
- ehsankia 4y agoAlso, maybe the original launch date a month ago was more optimal? I'm sure it's hard trying to time the perfect launch trajectory while also juggling weather and a bunch of other variables.