How long does it take to reach the Moon? Surprisingly, it's not as much time as you might think (photo).

In reality, a flight to the Moon is not an easy task. Although the Moon is relatively close to Earth in cosmic terms, the duration of the flight can vary. So, how much time does it take to reach the Moon? This is discussed by Live Science.

Distance from Earth to the Moon

The Moon has an elliptical orbit rather than a circular one, which means that during its rotation around Earth, our natural satellite is sometimes farther away from and sometimes closer to our planet. However, the average distance from Earth to the Moon is 384,400 km. The Moon's orbit is one of the factors that affects the flight duration to it. Other factors include the spacecraft's flight trajectory, the amount of fuel on board, and whether the mission is unmanned or manned.

Who reached the Moon the fastest among astronauts?

When it comes to manned missions, the astronauts of the "Apollo 8" mission in 1968 reached the Moon the quickest. The flight time from rocket launch to Moon landing was 6 days and 3 hours. The astronauts of the "Apollo 17" mission took the longest to reach the Moon, requiring 12.5 days.

The astronauts of the "Apollo 11" mission, who were the first humans to set foot on the Moon in 1969, took 109 hours and 42 minutes to reach Earth's satellite. That's almost 4.5 days. NASA's new lunar program "Artemis" anticipates that astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft will reach the Moon in about 5 days.

The fastest flight to the Moon among spacecraft

The spacecraft "New Horizons" reached the Moon the fastest in 2006. NASA sent it to study Pluto, so it merely flew by Earth's satellite. The flight duration from Earth to the Moon was 8 hours and 35 minutes. However, any mission aimed at landing on the Moon's surface takes much longer.

For example, the first spacecraft sent to the Moon took 34 hours to reach it. In 1959, the Soviet spacecraft "Luna 1" veered off course and flew past the Moon at a distance of nearly 6000 km.

Why is there such a significant difference in flight times to the Moon? As mentioned earlier, one of the main factors is the amount of fuel aboard the spacecraft or unmanned probe. In fact, using less fuel can extend the flight duration but make it much more efficient and cost-effective. In this case, gravitational assistance from Earth is utilized, helping the ship or probe achieve the necessary trajectory to reach the Moon.

For instance, in 2019, the Israeli spacecraft "Beresheet" orbited Earth for nearly a month and a half before heading to the Moon. Although it was supposed to make a soft landing on the Moon's surface, its 48-day flight ended with the probe crashing into the lunar surface.

The longest flight to the Moon among spacecraft

The longest journey to the Moon among unmanned spacecraft was made by NASA's small probe CAPSTONE in 2022. It orbited Earth several times, then headed to the Moon and entered orbit around the Earth's satellite. This took 4.5 months. By the way, this probe is significant for NASA's "Artemis" program, as it provided scientists with data about the orbit where the first lunar orbital station Gateway will be located. This station is planned to be built by the end of this decade.

The flight trajectory to the Moon, as mentioned earlier, is also crucial for the duration of any given mission. Of course, the Moon's position relative to Earth during its orbital motion also plays a role. The size of the spacecraft or probe is important as well.

As practice shows, manned missions tend to last longer than unmanned ones.