Largest Asteroid To Fly Past Earth in 2021 Is Moving 100 Times Faster Than Sound On 2/3/21 at 12:53 PM EST In March, an enormous asteroid will fly past the Earth at a velocity one hundred times greater than the speed of sound. The gigantic space rock, dubbed 2001 FO32, is the largest known asteroid scheduled to make a close approach to our planet this year. In addition, it is also the fastest, data from NASA's Center for Near Earth Studies (CNEOS) shows. Based on its brightness, the CNEOS estimates that the asteroid measures between 2,526 feet (0.47 miles) and 5,577 feet (1.05 miles) across. Read more This likely makes it bigger than any other asteroid set to fly past Earth this year. Even taking the smallest size estimate, the space rock would stand around the same height as the world's tallest building—the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.