Escape Velocity Calculator

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Solve the formula forwards for the escape speed, or backwards for the mass needed.
Pick a preset to auto-fill its mass and radius, or choose Custom to enter your own.
Unit for the headline escape and orbital velocities.
Escape velocityPlanet-scale escape velocity
11.19
Orbital (first cosmic) velocity7.91
Escape velocity11.186km/s
Escape velocity25,022mph
Surface gravity9.82m/s²
Surface gravity1× Earth g
Escape speed33× speed of sound
Escape velocity (km/s)11.186
Orbital velocity7.91

Escape velocity is about 11.19 km/s for Earth.

  • Escape velocity is the launch speed at which kinetic energy exactly equals the gravitational binding energy, so the object coasts to infinity with zero speed left over.
  • It depends only on the body’s mass and radius, not on the mass of the escaping object, which cancels out of the equation.
  • Orbital (first cosmic) velocity here is about 7.91 km/s, exactly 1/sqrt(2) (about 70.7%) of the escape speed.

Next stepSurface gravity works out to 9.82 m/s² (1× Earth), which is what a launch must fight against.

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