The following is a list of speed records for various categories of vehicles. In any 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. Note significant figures: unless otherwise indicated, trailing zeros to the left of a decimal point are not significant.
Category | Speed (km/h) | Speed (mph) | Vehicle | Operator | Date | Certifying entity | References |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Land speed record1 | 1,227.985 | 763.035 | ThrustSSC | Andy Green | 15 Oct 1997 | FIA | [1] |
Wheel-driven1 | 737.794 | 458.444 | Vesco Turbinator | Don Vesco | 18 Oct 2001 | FIA | [2] |
Motorcycle2 | 605.698 | 376.363 | Ack Attack | Rocky Robinson | 25 Sep 2010 | FIM | [3] |
Diesel-powered3 | 563.998 | 350.452 | JCB DieselMax | Andy Green | 23 Aug 2006 | FIA | [2] |
Electric-powered3 | 550.627 | 342.144 | Venturi VBB-3 Streamliner | Roger Schroer | 19 Sep 2016 | FIA | [2] |
Steam-powered3 | 238.679 | 148.308 | Inspiration | Don Wales | 25 Aug 2009 | FIA | [2] |
Wind-powered4 | 203.09 | 126.19 | Ecotricity Greenbird | Richard Jenkins | 26 Mar 2009 | NALSA | [4] |
Human-powered5 | 144.17 | 89.58 | AeroVelo Eta | Todd Reichert | 17 Sep 2016 | IHPVA | [5] |
Solar-powered6 | 91.332 | 56.751 | Sky Ace TIGA | Kenjiro Shinozuka | 20 Aug 2014 | GWR | [6] |
Radio-controlled car (rocket) | 338.14 | 210.11 | Black Knight | Anthony Lovering | 4 May 2016 | GWR | [7][8] |
Radio-controlled car (battery) | 325.12 | 202.02 | RC Bullet | Nic Case | 25 Oct 2014 | GWR | [9][10] |
Tracked vehicle | 82.23 | 51.10 | S2000 Scorpion Peacekeeper | 26 Jan 2002 | GWR | [11] |
Category | Speed (km/h) | Speed (mph) | Vehicle | Operator | Date | Certifying entity | References |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
On ice | 335.7 | 208.6 | Audi RS 6 | Janne Laitinen | 9 Mar 2013 | FIA | [13] |
On the Moon | 18.0 | 11.2 | Apollo 17 Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV-003) | Eugene Cernan | 31 Jul 1972 | (unofficial) | [14] |
On Mars | 0.18 | 0.11 | Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity | Jet Propulsion Laboratory, with semi-autonomous control | Jul 2004 | GWR | [15] |
Category | Speed (km/h) | Speed (mph) | Vehicle | Operator | Date | Certifying entity | References |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rocket sled | 10,326 | 6,416 | Super Roadrunner | (unmanned) | 29 Apr 2003 | USAF | [16] |
Maglev rocket sled | 1,019 | 633 | USAF rocket sled (unnamed) | (unmanned) | 4 Mar 2016 | USAF | [17] |
Rocket sled (manned) | 1,017 | 632 | Sonic Wind No. 1 | John Stapp | 10 Dec 1954 | USAF | [18] |
Maglev train (manned) | 603 | 375 | SCMaglev L0 Series Shinkansen | 21 Apr 2015 | GWR | [19] | |
Wheeled train | 574.8 | 357.2 | TGV POS V150 | 3 Apr 2007 | [20][21] | ||
Steam train | 202.6 | 125.9 | LNER Class A4 4468 Mallard | Joseph Duddington and Thomas Bray | 3 Jul 1938 | [22][23][24] | |
Propeller-driven rail car | 230 | 140 | Schienenzeppelin | Franz Kruckenberg | 21 June 1931 | [25] [26] |
Aircraft speed records are based on airspeed, rather than ground speed.
Category | Speed (km/h) | Speed (mph) | Mach number7 | Vehicle | Pilot | Date | Certifying entity | References |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unmanned aerial vehicle | 21,245 | 13,201 | ~20 | HTV-2 | (unmanned) | 22 Apr 2010 | (unofficial) | [27] |
Manned rocket-powered aircraft | 7,270 | 4,520 | 6.7 | North American X-15A-2 | William J. Knight | 3 Oct 1967 | GWR | [28][29] |
Manned air-breathing craft | 3,530 | 2,190 | 3.33 | Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird #61-7958 |
Eldon W. Joersz | 28 Jul 1976 | FAI | [30] |
Propeller-driven aircraft | 870 | 540 | 0.82 | Tupolev Tu-114 | Ivan Soukhomline | 1960 | FAI | [31][32] |
Piston-engined propeller-driven aircraft | 850.24 | 528.31 | 0.69 | Grumman F8F Bearcat Rare Bear |
Lyle Shelton | 21 Aug 1989 | FAI | [33][34] |
Helicopter8 | 400.87 | 249.09 | 0.33 | Westland Lynx 800 G-LYNX |
John Egginton | 11 Aug 1986 | FAI | [35] |
Glider (sailplane)9 | 306.8 | 190.6 | 0.25 | Schempp-Hirth Nimbus-4DM | Klaus Ohlmann and Matias Garcia Mazzaro | 22 Dec 2006 | FAI | [36] |
Electric aircraft10 | 324.02 | 201.34 | 0.26 | Rutan Long-EZ (N89CY) | William M. Yates | 23 Nov 2013 | FAI | [37] |
Airship | 115 | 71 | 0.09 | Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik LZ N07-100 (DLZFN) |
Steve Fossett and Hans-Paul Ströhle | 27 Oct 2004 | FAI | [38] |
Human-powered aircraft | 44.32 | 27.54 | 0.036 | Musculair 2 | Holger Rochelt | 2 Oct 1985 | FAI | [39] |
Category | Speed (knots) |
Speed (km/h) |
Speed (mph) |
Vehicle | Operator | Date | Certifying entity | References |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Water speed record | 275.98 | 511.11 | 317.59 | Spirit of Australia | Ken Warby | 8 Oct 1978 | UIM | [40][41] |
Propeller-driven water speed record | 226.78 | 420.00 | 260.97 | Problem Child | Daryl Ehrlich | 22 Nov 2009 | IHBA GWR |
[42][43] |
Wind-powered watercraft | 65.45 | 121.21 | 75.32 | Vestas Sailrocket 2 | Paul Larsen | 24 Nov 2012 | WSSRC | [44][45] |
Hovercraft11 | 74.2 | 137.4 | 85.4 | Universal UH19P Jenny II | Bob Windt | 1 Jan 1995 | WHF GWR |
[46] |
Human-powered watercraft | 18.5 | 34.3 | 21.3 | Decavitator | Mark Drela | 27 Oct 1991 | IHPVA | [47][48] |
Human-powered submarine | 8.035 | 14.881 | 9.247 | Omer 5 | Sebastien Brisebois and Joel Brunet | 28 Jun 2007 | ISR | [49] |
Ground effect vehicle12 (GEV) | 350 | 650 | 400 | Korabl Maket (Naval Prototype) "Caspian Sea Monster" | ca. 1966–1980 | (unofficial) | [50] | |
Underwater vehicle | There is no officially recognized speed record for underwater craft, due to the secretive nature of military vessels. In 1968, a Russian November class submarine reportedly tracked an American carrier group traveling at 31 knots (57 km/h; 36 mph).[51] Unmanned torpedo speed claims range from 60 knots (110 km/h; 69 mph) for the British Spearfish torpedo[52] to 200 knots (370 km/h; 230 mph) for the Russian VA-111 Shkval.[53] |
In order to unambiguously express the speed of a spacecraft, a frame of reference must be specified. Typically, this frame will be fixed to the celestial body with the largest gravitational influence on the spacecraft, as this is the most relevant frame for most purposes.[55] Velocities in different frames of reference are not directly comparable; the matter of the "fastest spacecraft" depends on the reference frame. Because of the influence of gravity, maximum velocities are usually attained just after launch, at entry, or at time of closest approach to a massive body.
Category | Speed (km/h) | Speed (mph) | Vehicle | Crew | Date | Certifying entity | References |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Speed relative to the Sun | 252,792 | 157,078 | Helios 2 | (unmanned) | 17 Apr 1976 | NASA | [56][57] |
Category | Speed (km/h) | Speed (mph) | Vehicle | Crew | Date | Certifying entity | References |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Earth escape | 58,536 | 36,373 | New Horizons | (unmanned) | 19 Jan 2006 | NASA | [58] |
Earth reentry | 46,100 | 28,600 | Stardust | (unmanned) | 15 Jan 2006 | NASA | [59] |
Manned Earth reentry | 39,897 | 24,791 | Apollo 10 CSM Charlie Brown | Thomas Stafford, John W. Young, and Eugene Cernan |
26 May 1969 | NASA | [60] |
Category | Speed (km/h) | Speed (mph) | Vehicle | Crew | Date | Certifying entity | References |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mars atmospheric entry | 27,000 | 17,000 | Mars Pathfinder | (unmanned) | 4 July 1997 | NASA | [61] |
Category | Speed (km/h) | Speed (mph) | Vehicle | Crew | Date | Certifying entity | References |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jupiter orbit insertion | 209,000 | 130,000 | Juno | (unmanned) | 4 Jul 2016 | NASA | [62][55] |
Deorbit (atmospheric entry) into Jupiter | 173,736 | 107,955 | Galileo | (unmanned) | 21 Sep 2003 | NASA | [63] |
Category | Speed (km/h) | Speed (mph) | Vehicle | Crew | Date | Certifying entity | References |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Closed orbit of Saturn | 122,000 | 76,000 | Cassini | (unmanned) | 27 Apr 2017 | NASA | [64] |
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See also |
World records | |||||||||||||
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Sporting records |
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National records | |||||||||||||
Motion records |
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Structures | |||||||||||||
Physical phenomena |