Elon Musk Launched Tesla Car In Space 7 Years Ago, Here's Where It Is Now

It has been a little over seven years since SpaceX first test-launched its powerful Falcon Heavy rocket. The February 2018 launch also shot SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's personal Tesla Roadster, along with a mannequin named Starman, into space and the cherry-red sports car is still out there in orbit revolving around the sun. Whereisroadster.com, a website created by Ben Pearson to track the red car on its journey through space, regularly follows the car's location and calculates the distance it has travelled. According to the site, it has been exactly 7 years and 14 days since the launch of the vehicle. The Roadster has "driven" around 3.5 trillion miles, it said.

According to Mr Pearson's work, it takes the car about 557 days to orbit the sun. So, since its launch in 2018, the car has exceeded its 36,000-mile warranty by over 97,002 times. "It has achieved a fuel economy of 11,782.9 kilometres per litre," the site read.

The car famously pumped out David Bowie's song 'Space Oddity' at the start of its journey. So, if the battery and speakers were still working, the onboard mannequin would have heard Bowie's masterpiece over 698,000 times.

The mannequin named Starman, on the other hand, has completed around 4.6161 orbits around the Sun since launch. "The vehicle has travelled far enough to drive all of the world's roads 86.8 times. It has been 7 years, 14 days, 8 hours, 9 minutes and 58 seconds since launch," it noted.

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Interestingly, earlier this year, Mr Musk's car was accidentally and briefly classified as an asteroid, as per CNET. The International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center issued a bulletin on January 2 announcing 2018 CN41 as a newly discovered near-Earth object. However, in a follow-up notice, the organisation said that it mistakenly classified the vehicle as an asteroid.

"The next day it was pointed out the orbit matches an artificial object 2018-017A, Falcon Heavy Upper stage with the Tesla Roadster. The designation 2018 CN41 is being deleted and will be listed as omitted," the notice read.

Meanwhile, a team at Whereisroadster.com has worked out that the red sports car will make a close encounter with Earth in 2091 when it will come within a couple hundred thousand kilometres of the planet where it was made.

Notably, Starman and Elon Musk's Roaster was launched in space on February 6, 2018.

Over the years, the Tesla Roadster and its passenger, Starman, have been the subjects of fascination for space enthusiasts. While the car continues its journey around the sun, scientists speculate that it has likely sustained significant damage due to extreme space conditions. Without Earth's protective atmosphere, the vehicle has been exposed to high levels of radiation, micrometeoroid impacts, and temperature fluctuations ranging from extreme heat to freezing cold. The once-glossy red paint may have faded, and components such as rubber and plastic might have deteriorated beyond recognition.

Despite these harsh conditions, the Tesla Roadster remains an iconic symbol of humanity's ability to push boundaries. It serves as a testament to the success of SpaceX's Falcon Heavy, which has since been used for multiple high-profile missions. The car's journey through the cosmos also represents the increasing role of private space exploration in scientific and commercial ventures. With ambitious plans to send missions to Mars and beyond, SpaceX continues to build on the momentum generated by this historic test flight.

The Roadster's trajectory will continue to bring it closer to various celestial bodies over the coming decades. While no missions are planned to retrieve it, astronomers will periodically track its movements and predict potential future encounters with Earth. Some researchers estimate that there is a small chance—around 6%—that the car could eventually collide with Earth or Venus in the next few million years. However, for now, it remains a unique and drifting relic of early 21st-century space history.

Looking ahead, the Tesla Roadster’s legacy extends beyond its orbital path. It has inspired conversations about the long-term presence of artificial objects in space and the potential for future space tourism and commercial ventures. As companies and space agencies plan missions to establish permanent human presence beyond Earth, Starman and the Roadster serve as a reminder of how innovation, ambition, and even a touch of humor can shape the future of space exploration.