The following is a list of speed records for various types of vehicles. This list only presents the single greatest speed achieved in each broad record category; for more information on records under variations of test conditions, see the specific article for each record category. As with many world records, there may be some dispute over the criteria for a record-setting event, the authority of the organization certifying the record, and the actual speed achieved.
Category | Speed (km/h) | Speed (mph) | Vehicle | Operator | Date | Certifier | Refs |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Land speed record [a] | 1,227.985 | 763.035 | ThrustSSC | Andy Green | 15 Oct 1997 | FIA | [2] |
Wheel-driven [b] | 745.187 | 463.038 | Vesco Turbinator II | Dave Spangler | 14 Aug 2018 | SCTA | [3] [4] |
Piston-engine [c] | 722.204 | 448.757 | Challenger 2 | Danny Thompson | 12 Aug 2018 | SCTA | [6] |
Motorcycle [d] | 605.698 | 376.363 | Ack Attack | Rocky Robinson | 25 Sep 2010 | FIM | [7] |
Diesel-powered [e] | 563.998 | 350.452 | JCB DieselMax | Andy Green | 23 Aug 2006 | FIA | [8] |
Electric-powered [e] | 550.627 | 342.144 | Venturi Buckeye Bullet 3 | Roger Schroer | 19 Sep 2016 | FIA | [8] |
Steam-powered [e] | 238.679 | 148.308 | Inspiration | Don Wales | 25 Aug 2009 | FIA | [8] |
Wind-powered [f] | 225.58 | 140.17 | Horonuku | Glenn Ashby | 24 Feb 2023 | FISLY | [10] |
Human-powered [g] | 144.17 | 89.58 | AeroVelo Eta | Todd Reichert | 17 Sep 2016 | IHPVA | [12] |
Solar-powered [h] | 91.332 | 56.751 | Sky Ace TIGA | Kenjiro Shinozuka | 20 Aug 2014 | GWR | [13] |
Tracked vehicle | 121.9 | 75.7 | modified M113 APC | Carl May | Jul/Aug 1979 | US Army | [14] |
Radio-controlled car (rocket-powered) | 338.14 | 210.11 | Black Knight | Anthony Lovering | 4 May 2016 | GWR | [15] [16] |
Radio-controlled car (battery-powered) | 325.12 | 202.02 | RC Bullet | Nic Case | 25 Oct 2014 | GWR | [17] [18] |
Category | Speed (km/h) | Speed (mph) | Vehicle | Operator | Date | Certifier | Refs |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
On ice | 335.7 | 208.6 | Audi RS 6 | Janne Laitinen | 9 Mar 2013 | FIA | [19] |
On the Moon | 18.0 | 11.2 | Apollo 17 Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV‑003) | Eugene Cernan | 11 Dec 1972 | (unofficial) | [20] |
On Mars | 0.18 | 0.11 | Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity | Jet Propulsion Laboratory, with semi‑autonomous control | Jul 2004 | GWR | [21] |
Category | Speed (km/h) | Speed (mph) | Vehicle | Operator | Date | Certifier | Refs |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rocket sled | 10,326 | 6,416 | Super Roadrunner | (uncrewed) / USAF | 29 Apr 2003 | [22] | |
Maglev rocket sled | 1,019 | 633 | (unnamed) | (uncrewed) / USAF | 4 Mar 2016 | [23] | |
Rocket sled (crewed) | 1,017 | 632 | Sonic Wind No. 1 | John Stapp / USAF | 10 Dec 1954 | [24] | |
Maglev train (crewed) | 603 | 375 | SCMaglev L0 Series | Central Japan Railway Company | 21 Apr 2015 | GWR | [25] |
Wheeled | 574.8 | 357.2 | TGV POS V150 | Eric Pieczac | 3 Apr 2007 | [26] [27] | |
Propeller-driven | 230 | 140 | Schienenzeppelin | Franz Kruckenberg | 21 Jun 1931 | [28] [29] | |
Steam-driven | 202.6 | 125.9 | LNER Class A4 4468 Mallard | Joseph Duddington and Thomas Bray | 3 Jul 1938 | [30] [31] [32] |
Aircraft speed records are based on true airspeed, rather than ground speed.
Category | Speed (km/h) | Speed (mph) | Mach No. [a] | Vehicle | Crew | Date | Certifier | Refs |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Uncrewed aerial vehicle | 21,245 | 13,201 | ~20 | HTV‑2 | (uncrewed) | 22 Apr 2010 | (unofficial) | [33] |
Crewed, rocket-powered | 7,270 | 4,520 | 6.7 | North American X‑15A‑2 | William J. Knight | 3 Oct 1967 | GWR | [34] [35] |
Crewed, air-breathing | 3,529.56 | 2,193.17 | 3.3 | Lockheed SR‑71A Blackbird #61‑7958 | Eldon W. Joersz | 28 Jul 1976 | FAI | [36] [37] |
Propeller-driven | 927.4 | 576.3 | ~ 0.85 | Piaggio P.180 Avanti | Joseph J. Ritchie, Steve Fossett | 6 Feb 2003 | FAI | [38] [39] |
Piston-engined | 850.24 | 528.31 | 0.69 | Grumman F8F Bearcat (modified) Rare Bear | Lyle Shelton | 21 Aug 1989 | FAI | [40] [41] |
Electric [b] | 555.9 | 345.4 | 0.45 | Rolls-Royce Accel Spirit of Innovation | Steve Jones | 19 Nov 2021 | FAI | [42] |
Helicopter [note 1] | 400.87 | 249.09 | 0.33 | Westland Lynx 800 G‑LYNX | John Egginton | 11 Aug 1986 | FAI | [43] [44] |
Glider (sailplane) [c] | 306.8 | 190.6 | 0.25 | Schempp‑Hirth Nimbus‑4DM | Klaus Ohlmann (pilot), Matias Garcia Mazzaro | 22 Dec 2006 | FAI | [45] |
Airship [note 2] | 115.1 | 71.5 | 0.09 | Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik LZ N07‑100 (DLZFN) | Steve Fossett (pilot), Hans‑Paul Ströhle | 27 Oct 2004 | FAI | [47] [48] |
Human-powered | 44.32 | 27.54 | 0.03 | Musculair 2 | Holger Rochelt | 2 Oct 1985 | FAI | [49] [50] |
Ground effect vehicle | See entry under § Watercraft. |
Category | Speed (knots) | Speed (km/h) | Speed (mph) | Vehicle | Operator | Date | Certifier | Refs |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Water speed record | 275.98 | 511.11 | 317.59 | Spirit of Australia | Ken Warby | 8 Oct 1978 | UIM | [51] [52] |
Propeller-driven | 226.78 | 420.00 | 260.97 | Problem Child | Daryl Ehrlich | 22 Nov 2009 | IHBA, GWR | [53] [54] |
Wind-powered | 65.45 | 121.21 | 75.32 | Vestas Sailrocket 2 | Paul Larsen | 24 Nov 2012 | WSSRC | [55] [56] |
Hovercraft [b] | 74.2 | 137.4 | 85.4 | Universal UH19P Jenny II | Bob Windt | 1 Jan 1995 | WHF, GWR | [57] |
Human-powered | 18.5 | 34.3 | 21.3 | Decavitator | Mark Drela | 27 Oct 1991 | IHPVA | [58] [59] |
Human-powered submarine | 8.035 | 14.881 | 9.247 | Omer 5 | Sebastien Brisebois, Joel Brunet | 28 Jun 2007 | ISR | [60] |
Ground effect vehicle [a] | 350 | 650 | 400 | Korabl Maket "Caspian Sea Monster" | Soviet Navy | ca. 1966–1980 | (unofficial) | [62] |
Underwater vehicle | There is no officially recognized speed record for underwater craft, due to the secretive nature of military vessels. In 1968, a Soviet November-class submarine reportedly tracked an American carrier group traveling at 31 knots (57 km/h; 36 mph). [63] Uncrewed torpedo speed claims range from 60 knots (110 km/h; 69 mph) for the British Spearfish torpedo [64] to 200 knots (370 km/h; 230 mph) for the Russian VA-111 Shkval. [65] |
In order to unambiguously express the speed of a spacecraft, a frame of reference must be specified. Typically, this frame is fixed to the body with the greatest gravitational influence on the spacecraft, as this is the most relevant frame for most purposes. [66] Velocities in different frames of reference are not directly comparable; thus the matter of the "fastest spacecraft" depends on the reference frame used.
Because of the influence of gravity, maximum velocities are usually attained when a spacecraft is close to its primary body: either just after launch, at a point of closest approach (periapsis), or during the early stages of atmospheric entry.
Frame of reference | Category | Speed relative to frame of reference | Vehicle | Operator | Crew | Date | Refs [a] | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
km/h | km/s | mph | |||||||
Sun | Periapsis | 692,000 | 192 | 430,000 | Parker Solar Probe | ![]() | (uncrewed) | 24 Dec 2024 | [67] |
Earth | Escape | 58,536 | 16.26 | 36,370 | New Horizons | ![]() | (uncrewed) | 19 Jan 2006 | [68] |
Entry | 46,100 | 12.8 | 28,600 | Stardust | ![]() | (uncrewed) | 15 Jan 2006 | [69] | |
Entry (crewed) | 39,897 | 11.08 | 24,790 | Apollo 10 CSM Charlie Brown | ![]() | Thomas Stafford, John Young, Eugene Cernan | 26 May 1969 | [70] | |
Mars | Entry | 27,000 | 7.6 | 17,000 | Mars Pathfinder | ![]() | (uncrewed) | 4 Jul 1997 | [71] |
Jupiter | Orbit insertion | 209,000 | 58 | 130,000 | Juno | ![]() | (uncrewed) | 4 Jul 2016 | [72] [66] |
Entry | 173,736 | 48.26 | 108,000 | Galileo | ![]() | (uncrewed) | 21 Sep 2003 | [73] | |
Saturn | Periapsis | 122,000 | 34 | 76,000 | Cassini | ![]() | (uncrewed) | 27 Apr 2017 | [74] |
"This large aircraft has flown at 650 km/h (350 knots) ..."