Half a decade has passed since SpaceX captured global attention with its decision to launch Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster into space.
Tesla electric car photographed on February 8, 2018. (Photo: SpaceX)
As of February 6, the cherry-red sports car has been in space for a full 5 years. At this anniversary, estimated data shows that the car has completed about 3 and 1/4 orbits around the Sun, flying a distance of 327 million kilometers from Earth, according to the tracking website whereisroadster.com. The Roadster has traveled over 4 billion kilometers in space, primarily in a vacuum environment. However, in 2020, the vehicle came close to Mars, just 8 million kilometers away from the Red Planet, approximately 20 times the distance between Earth and the Moon.
Nevertheless, it’s very difficult to say exactly where the car is or determine whether it is intact as the vehicle could be destroyed by meteoroids or eroded to the point of being unrecognizable due to radiation. There have been no direct observations of the car since 2018, weeks after it ascended into orbit atop the Falcon Heavy rocket. Current data is based only on estimated calculations of its trajectory. Astronomers lack motivation to actively track the Roadster as it does not hold much scientific value.
The Tesla car served as a “dummy payload” for Falcon Heavy’s first mission in February 2018, a launch that Musk himself predicted had only a 50-50 chance of success. However, the rocket launch went smoothly. Since then, the car has been orbiting the Sun in an elongated trajectory that intersects with Mars’ orbit.
Before the 2018 launch, SpaceX placed several Easter eggs on the car. Behind the steering wheel was a mannequin dressed in a spacesuit nicknamed Starman. On the vehicle’s dashboard was a sign that read “Don’t Panic,” referencing the famous science fiction story “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.” Additionally, the data storage device in the car contained works by author Isaac Asimov and a plaque engraved with the names of thousands of SpaceX employees. At the time of the launch, Musk shared his hope that one day humans would settle on another planet in the solar system. If that happens, he hopes that his descendants can retrieve the Roadster for a museum.
Currently, the car is unlikely to fly near any planet until 2035, when it will pass by Mars again. After that, the vehicle will fly just a few million kilometers from Earth in 2047 and 2050, according to NASA data. A scientific paper from 2018 estimated that the likelihood of the car colliding with Earth within the next 15 million years is about 22%. The chance of it hitting Venus or the Sun is 12%. If it were to collide with Earth, the car might break into many pieces while falling through the thick atmosphere.
