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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/aero-escape-speed-25000-mph

About how fast must a spacecraft go to break free of Earth and head to another planet?

Around 25,000 miles per hour, Earth's escape speed.

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  1. Around 25,000 mph ✔
  2. Around 17,800 mph
  3. Around 186,000 mph

Why: Orbit speed, around 17,800 mph, just keeps a craft circling Earth. To leave Earth's pull and travel to another planet, it needs about 25,000 mph. 186,000 is the speed of light in miles per second.

Huh, didn't know that: Escape speed is about 11.2 kilometers per second.

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Why did the spacecraft leave the party early? It reached escape velocity.
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References

Answer: Around 25,000 mph. Orbit speed, around 17,800 mph, just keeps a craft circling Earth. To leave Earth's pull and travel to another planet, it needs about 25,000 mph. 186,000 is the speed of light in miles per second.

  1. NASA Space Place, How Do We Launch Things Into Space? spaceplace.nasa.gov/launching-into-space/en
    To do that, you'd have to speed up to around 25,000 mph.
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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