How Many Miles Up Is Space

Low earth orbit leo where many satellites live goes from 160km 100 miles 525 000 feet to 2 000km 1 240 miles 6 5 million feet.

How many miles up is space. However other countries and agencies have a differing opinion on where space begins. Mesosphere of earth s atmosphere. That all seems a bit vague but it turns out space has a definite on paper start point and it s precisely 327 360 feet up.

General international consensus sets a similar limit for the start of space as 100km 62 miles or 380 000 feet. According to data collected by the university of calgary space begins and the earth s atmosphere ends at 73 miles above the earth s surface. The space industry lists 62 miles.

Nasa s web site will check the telemetry from the space station and gather its exact latitude and longitude as it orbits about 200 miles over the earth traveling 17 500 miles an hour making one full orbit every hour and a half. Space starts here at 100 kilometers the view from here. The number of miles required to reach outer space depends on whom is asked.

Nasa awards astronaut status for flights above 50 miles. By the same token space is often defined as beginning at the lowest altitude at which satellites can maintain orbits for a reasonable time which is approximately 160 kilometers 100 miles above. Others place the marker at an astronomical 13 million miles.

Determining the boundary of outer space is fraught with scientific and political issues. In the us space begins at 80 4km 50 miles or 264 000 feet. Although the united states does not have a defined boundary nasa considers the earth s atmosphere ending and beginning at 76 miles above the surface.