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Apollo 10 Reached 39,937 km/h in 1969 — And This Human Speed Record May Be Broken by the Artemis II Mission in 2026
In 1969, the Apollo 10 mission made history by achieving the highest speed ever recorded by humans in a vehicle. Onboard the command module Charlie Brown, astronauts Thomas Stafford, John Young, and Eugene Cernan returned to Earth at an impressive 39,937.7 km/h. No crewed mission has reached such high speed since then.
Historic Race Began with Apollo 10
The Apollo 10 mission took place in May 1969 and was the dress rehearsal for the first moon landing. The spacecraft came within 15 kilometers of the lunar surface. It tested all the systems of the descent module but did not land.
The goal was to verify the viability of the Apollo 11 mission. To that end, it was also necessary to ensure a safe return to Earth. The return route was planned to be more direct. Instead of 56 hours, as was usual, the trip took about 42 hours.
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This shorter trajectory caused the capsule to reach extremely high speeds during atmospheric reentry. Eugene Cernan described the moment as being inside “a ball of white and violet flames.”
Recent Missions Maintained Lower Speeds
Since then, space missions have been limited to low Earth orbit. As a result, reentry speeds have decreased. During the space shuttle era and trips to the International Space Station, speeds hovered around 28,000 km/h.
Thus, the Apollo 10 record remained untouched for more than half a century. No other mission had the need or capability to achieve a similar speed.
A New Attempt Is Coming with the Artemis II Mission
The Artemis program is NASA’s response to the lack of crewed missions beyond low Earth orbit. The first crewed mission, Artemis II, is scheduled for 2026.
The Orion spacecraft, which will carry four astronauts around the Moon, could set a new milestone. Jeremy Hansen (from the Canadian Space Agency), Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, and Christina Hammock Koch (from NASA) are expected to reenter the atmosphere at 40,234 km/h.
If the number is confirmed, Apollo 10’s record will be surpassed by a small margin. The feat will depend on the stability of Orion’s heat shield, which is responsible for withstanding temperatures of up to 2,760 ºC generated during reentry.
Heat Shield Will Be the Major Challenge
In the uncrewed Artemis I mission, Orion’s heat shield cracked during reentry. Pieces even came loose. To avoid risks in Artemis II, NASA decided to change the capsule’s reentry profile.
The skip phase will be avoided, as it can generate gases inside the shield and cause further damage. Even with this change, the projected speed will be maintained.
If everything goes as planned, the Apollo 10 record will fall after 56 years, marking the beginning of a new era of space exploration.
With information from Xataka.
