John Glenn orbited the Earth on February 20, 1962. He did so as part of the Mercury-Atlas 6 mission aboard the spacecraft named Friendship 7. The mission lasted about 4 hours and 55 minutes, during which he completed three orbits of the Earth at an average speed of approximately 17,544 mph. Glenn's flight made him the first American to orbit the Earth, covering around 75,679 miles in total. The launch occurred from Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 14 in Florida. This mission was a major milestone in the U.S. space program during the early years of NASA's astronaut endeavors.