What Is the Highest Speed in the World?

The highest possible speed is the speed of light in a vacuum: 299,792,458 meters per second—about 1.079 billion km/h (670.6 million mph). In human-made travel, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe holds the record, reaching about 635,266 km/h (394,736 mph) during solar flybys as of 2024. This article explains what “highest speed” can mean—from the universe’s ultimate limit to the fastest machines and records on and near Earth.

The ultimate limit: light in a vacuum

In physics, nothing with mass or information can travel faster than light in a vacuum, a constant denoted by c. This is not just a big number; it’s the cosmic speed limit embedded in the structure of spacetime. It governs how cause and effect propagate and underpins modern technologies such as GPS and telecommunications.

The following points summarize why the speed of light stands apart from every other “fastest” claim you’ll hear:

• Exact value: 299,792,458 m/s (about 299,792 km/s, 1.079 billion km/h, or 670.6 million mph).
• Universality: c is the same in all inertial frames, a cornerstone of Einstein’s special relativity.
• Practical consequence: As objects approach c, their energy requirement rises steeply; reaching c would require infinite energy.

In short, the speed of light is not just faster—it’s fundamentally different: the unattainable ceiling for any massive object or signal.

Fastest human-made speeds today

Spaceflight: Parker Solar Probe

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe is the fastest human-made object ever recorded. Using repeated Venus gravity assists to tighten its orbit around the Sun, it accelerated to approximately 635,266 km/h (394,736 mph) during close solar passes reported through 2024. The mission is designed to fly even closer and faster, with NASA projecting peak speeds around 700,000 km/h (about 430,000 mph) near the mission’s final perihelia.

Particles in accelerators

While not “vehicles,” particles in colliders routinely reach speeds within a few meters per second of c. Protons in CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, for example, travel at about 0.999999991 times the speed of light—so close that the difference from c is measured in mere m/s. These experiments probe the limits of matter and energy, but they don’t violate relativity: even at those energies, the particles never actually reach c.

Selected world speed records across domains

“Highest speed” can also refer to category-specific records on and near Earth. Here are widely cited benchmarks that illustrate the extremes across air, land, sea, and rail.

• Fastest human-made object overall: NASA Parker Solar Probe — about 635,266 km/h (394,736 mph), 2024.
• Fastest crewed rocket plane (atmosphere/near space): North American X‑15 — 7,274 km/h (4,520 mph; Mach 6.7), October 3, 1967.
• Fastest air-breathing jet aircraft (crewed): Lockheed SR‑71A Blackbird — 3,529.6 km/h (2,193.2 mph), July 28, 1976.
• Fastest land vehicle: ThrustSSC — 1,227.985 km/h (763.035 mph; supersonic), October 15, 1997.
• Fastest production car (two-way average, public road): Koenigsegg Agera RS — 447.19 km/h (277.87 mph), November 2017; single-run high-speed: Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ — 490.48 km/h (304.77 mph), 2019 (not a two-way record).
• Fastest train (test): JR Central L0 Series maglev — 603 km/h (375 mph), 2015; fastest in regular service: Shanghai Maglev — 431 km/h (268 mph).
• World water-speed record: Spirit of Australia (jet-powered) — 511.11 km/h (318.60 mph), October 8, 1978.

These records highlight how speed pushes different engineering limits: aerodynamic heating in air, stability and drag on land and water, and power delivery and safety for rail.

Why nothing outruns light

Relativity sets strict conditions that prevent any massive object from surpassing the speed of light. These concepts explain the physical barriers engineers and scientists cannot cross, no matter the technology.

1. Energy skyrockets with speed: As velocity approaches c, the required kinetic energy grows without bound; hitting c would demand infinite energy.
2. Time dilation and mass-energy equivalence: Near-light speeds dramatically slow onboard time and effectively increase inertia, compounding the energy barrier.
3. Causality: Exceeding c would break cause-and-effect orderings between events, undermining the consistency of physical laws.

These principles are borne out by every high-energy experiment to date: we can approach c asymptotically, but never attain or exceed it.

What to watch next

Parker Solar Probe’s final, tighter solar passes are expected to nudge the human-made speed record higher, with NASA targeting roughly 430,000 mph (about 700,000 km/h) by the mission’s endgame in 2025. On Earth, future maglev projects and novel propulsion research aim to raise practical transport speeds, though they remain orders of magnitude below the cosmic limit set by light.

Summary

The highest speed in the world—indeed, in the universe—is the speed of light in a vacuum, 299,792,458 m/s. Among human achievements, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe is the fastest object yet, exceeding 635,000 km/h during solar flybys as of 2024. Across specific domains—air, land, rail, and sea—decades of records chart how far engineering has pushed speed, even as the fundamental limit set by relativity remains intact.

Has any car hit 700 mph?

Yes, but only with a specially built, jet-powered vehicle. The Thrust SSC, a British land-speed record vehicle, holds the record at 763 mph (1,228 km/h). This is not a production car but an experimental achievement that first broke the sound barrier for a land vehicle.
 
You can watch this video to learn more about how the Thrust SSC achieved its speed: 57sDriver61YouTube · Feb 23, 2024
About the Thrust SSC

• Purpose: The Thrust SSC is a jet-propelled streamliner designed solely for breaking speed records, not for road use. 
• History: It set the official world land speed record on October 15, 1997. 
• Achievement: It is the first and only land vehicle to break the sound barrier, reaching a speed of Mach 1.020. 
• Propulsion: The vehicle is powered by two Rolls-Royce Spey jet engines. 

Key Distinction 

• Thrust SSC vs. Production Cars: When discussing cars, “hitting 700 mph” would typically refer to a road-legal production car, which has not achieved this speed. Production cars are designed to be driven on public roads and must adhere to different regulations and engineering constraints.

Has a car ever hit 400 mph?

Yes, multiple “cars” (referring to wheel-driven, ground vehicles) have exceeded 400 mph, with Mickey Thompson’s Challenger 1 reaching 406.6 mph in 1960, although it was an unofficial speed due to a failed return run. More recently, Danny Thompson achieved an official wheel-driven record of 448 mph in Challenger 2 in 2018, and other wheel-driven vehicles like the Turbinator II have claimed speeds over 500 mph. 
Mickey Thompson and Challenger 1

• In 1960, Mickey Thompson’s Challenger 1, a four-engine streamliner, reached 406.6 mph on a one-way pass at the Bonneville Salt Flats. 
• This marked the first time an American driver exceeded 400 mph, but he could not complete a required second run in the opposite direction to set an official record. 

Danny Thompson and Challenger 2

• In 2018, Danny Thompson, Mickey’s son, set the official piston-powered, wheel-driven speed record with Challenger 2, averaging 448 mph. 
• This record was an official two-way average, which is the standard for a Land Speed Record. 

Other Notable Vehicles

• The Turbinator II has claimed speeds exceeding 500 mph. 
• For context, the absolute Land Speed Record, held by the ThrustSSC, is much higher, at 763 mph. This vehicle uses jet engines and is less like a traditional car and more like a jet aircraft on the ground. 

What is Usain Bolt’s top speed?

Usain Bolt’s top speed, achieved during his 9.58-second world record 100-meter race in 2009, was approximately 43.99 km/h (27.33 mph) or even slightly higher, with some sources citing 44.72 km/h (27.8 mph), which he hit around the 65-meter mark of the sprint. This rapid velocity contributed to his overall world record time and established him as the fastest human ever recorded.
 
Key Details: 

• Event: 100-meter sprint, 2009 IAAF World Championships in Berlin
• Record Time: 9.58 seconds
• Top Speed: Approximately 44.72 km/h (27.8 mph)
• Peak Velocity Point: Reached around the 65-meter mark

Context of the Speed:

• Usain Bolt had to start from a standstill and build up to this speed, making the achievement more remarkable. 
• His ability to reach such a high top speed while still maintaining overall speed for the full 100 meters was a key factor in his dominance as a sprinter. 

Who has the highest top speed ever?

Absolute World Records are for a given distance or elapsed time, independent of Category, Group, or Class. The current holder of the Outright World Land Speed Record is ThrustSSC driven by Andy Green, a twin turbofan jet-powered car which achieved 763.035 mph – 1227.985 km/h – over one mile in October 1997.