How will teams get their spacecraft to the Moon?
The journey from the Earth to the Moon can take up to three stages: launch from the surface of the Earth to Earth Orbit, transfer from an Earth Orbit to a Lunar Orbit; and descent from a Lunar Orbit to the surface of the Moon. Reaching low Earth orbit requires a velocity of 5 miles per second (7.8 km/s). To escape the Earth’s deep gravity well requires a velocity of 7 miles per second (10.92 km/s). Because the Moon has no atmosphere, rocket engines will likely be required to soft-land the spacecraft on the surface of the Moon.
