The Fastest Spacecraft

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There are several ways to measure the speed of the fastest spacecraft and each definition gives credit to a different craft. We will look at four categories in this article: fastest escape speed from Earth’s atmosphere, fastest speed on a solar escape, fastest based on plain old-fashioned km/h, and fastest reentry speed.
The New Horizons space probe is the fastest spacecraft based on its velocity as it escaped the Earth’s atmosphere and gravity. The probe hit 57,600 km/h as it pulled away from its terrestrial tethers.  more...