The escape velocity vₑ is the minimum velocity a body needs to escape the gravitational pull of a planet or celestial body without any additional propulsion. It depends on the gravitational acceleration g or, equivalently, the mass Mₑ and radius R of the celestial body.

The formula for escape velocity is:
vₑ = √(2gR) or equivalently} \quad vₑ = √((2GMₑ)/R)

This shows that escape velocity is determined by the gravitational characteristics of the celestial body and is independent of the mass of the escaping object m. Thus, objects of different masses have the same escape velocity from the same location.