Convert Orbital Speed (ISS) to Mach 5

Convert Orbital Speed (ISS) (v_orb) to Mach 5 (Ma5) instantly and accurately.

Conversion Formula

Ma5 = v_orb × 4.502042376

About Orbital Speed (ISS)

The ISS orbits at ~408 km altitude at ≈7,660 m/s (27,576 km/h) - the practical LEO benchmark. At this speed it completes one orbit in 92.68 min (15.5 orbits per day), giving astronauts 16 sunrises and sunsets every 24 hours. Delta-v to reach LEO from Earth's surface is ~9,400 m/s (with gravity and drag losses). GEO at 35,786 km requires only ~3,075 m/s per Kepler's third law. 1 ISS speed ≈ 7,660 m/s.

About Mach 5

Mach 5 ≈ 1,701.45 m/s (6,125 km/h) at ISA sea level - the conventional supersonic/hypersonic boundary. Above Mach 5, stagnation temperatures exceed 1,500°C, air dissociates around the vehicle, and ablative thermal protection becomes mandatory. Space Shuttle re-entered at Mach 25; Soyuz capsules at Mach 27; ICBM warheads at Mach 15-25. NASA X-43A scramjet reached Mach 9.6 (air-breathing record, 2004). 1 Mach 5 = 1,701.45 m/s.

Quick Reference Table

→ Full Speed Converter