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Loading contentThe minimum speed needed to break free of a body's gravity without further propulsion.
Escape velocity grows with mass and shrinks with distance. When the escape velocity from an object's surface reaches the speed of light, not even light can escape — the concept that first suggested 'dark stars' and now defines the event horizon.
Facts on this topic will be cited from these primary and reference sources.
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.