When we want to say that something happens incredibly fast, we often describe this as ‘rocket speed.’ That is a great metaphor for objects moving on Earth or at least within our atmosphere because rockets are clearly very fast. But rockets are no longer the fastest objects in space – in fact, space probes have always moved faster than rockets. Ever since NASA started launching its exploration probes in the 1970s, they have been beating all records imaginable – on Earth and in space.
So, is Voyager 1 the fastest man-made object? Actually, no, and it was never because Voyager holds the record for farthest-travelling and longest-operational spacecraft. The fastest title used to belong to the Helios-2 until the Parker solar probe, the fastest man-made object existing today, came along and beat all previous records several times in a row. Below, we will quickly compare it to other tech and explain how such records are even possible.
What Is The Fastest Thing On Earth Other Than Light?
Let’s roll back a little and recall that the fastest phenomenon known to us is light, which travels at almost 300,000 km per second! Clearly, humanity cannot hope to compete with such speed, but we’re growing pretty successful in leveraging natural phenomena in our technology. For example, today’s fibre cables allow electromagnetic waves to propagate at 200,000 km/s, which is about 2/3 the speed of light in a vacuum. For us, this translates into almost instant data transmission, so no more lengthy file downloads.
As for the fastest object on Earth, the record holder on land is Thrust SSC, a SuperSonic Car that can travel at 1,228 km/h and even break the sound barrier. In the air, the fastest man-made object to date is the North American X-15, but one should note that this craft is rocket-powered. Still, since 1967, no other aircraft has succeeded in beating this record.
Notable Speed Records In Space
In space, the last few decades have toppled over previous record holders. We’ve already mentioned Voyager held the record in distance travelled, so clearly, its speed also had to be high, reaching a maximum of 61,500 km/h. And, as space news resource Orbital Today explains, Voyager probes were the first to explore the outer layers of our solar system. So, both spacecraft have made their mark in the history of space exploration, which is probably why these space travellers are so famous – but not in the fastest man-made object category.
However, since space tech is developing so quickly, several probes have outperformed Voyagers in terms of speed, i.e.:
- Helios 2, launched in 1976, reached 252,000 km/h record;
- Juno, launched in 2011, could manage 265,000 km/h;
- In 2023, the Parker solar probe speed reached 635,000 km/h, with future projections to exceed 700,000 km/h!
Why Is Parker Solar Probe So Fast?
To date, the Parker solar probe, launched in 2018 to study the Sun’s corona, is the fastest man-made object in the Universe. It is a bright example of how humanity has learned to leverage natural phenomena to achieve such high man-made tech performance. Why? Because it uses a combination of clever navigation, planetary gravity assists, and the Sun’s gravitational pull to pick up speed. More specifically, it relies on:
- Gravitational Slingshots: the probe uses Venus’s gravity to slingshot itself closer and closer to the Sun. Each time it swings by Venus, it tweaks its orbit, allowing it to dive deeper into the Sun’s gravitational well. This is a bit like rolling downhill—except the “hill” is the intense gravity of our star.
- Distance to the Sun and the power of our star’s gravity: the closer you get to the Sun, the stronger its gravity. Imagine dropping a ball from the top of a skyscraper: the closer it gets to the ground, the faster it falls. The Parker Solar Probe is essentially “falling” towards the Sun, speeding up as it approaches. Of course, it’s not going to crash right into the Sun—it’s carefully steered to swoop around the star, gathering speed and data each time.
- Gaining speed with each new approach: over several years, the spacecraft will make multiple close approaches to the Sun, each time going a bit faster. The result: a top speed that breaks old records again and again. And yes, the probe has set several records in a row, reaching the speeds of 390,000+ km/h in 2020, and 587,000 km/h in 2021, until finally setting a record of 635,000 in 2023!
These are amazing examples of human engineering, but impressive as they are, it is unfair to compare the fastest man-made object vs the speed of light. If we did, we would have to admit that the Parker probe travels at crawling snail speed! On the other hand, the new space race is gaining momentum, so who knows? New records could be just around the corner, so stay tuned for more space updates!
Author: Emma Thorpe
