Gravitation
Escape Velocity Calculator
Calculate escape velocity for Earth, Moon, Mars, Jupiter, the Sun and any custom body. Also shows orbital velocity and surface gravity.
v_esc = √(2GM/r)
Select a body to calculate escape velocity.
Escape velocity
Escape velocity is the minimum speed needed to escape a gravitational field without further propulsion. The formula v_esc = √(2GM/R) shows it depends only on the body's mass and radius — not on the escaping object's mass. At Earth's surface, this is about 11.2 km/s (≈ 40,000 km/h).
Escape velocity is always exactly √2 times the circular orbital velocity at the same radius. This comes from the ratio of total energy: an orbit has E = −GMm/(2r), escape requires E ≥ 0.