Elon Musk sent a Tesla Roadster toward Mars on SpaceX’s first Falcon Heavy launch in 2018.
The launch took place on February 6, 2018, from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Roadster was Musk’s personal first-generation Tesla, and a mannequin called Starman occupied the driver’s seat.
Falcon Heavy used three Falcon 9-derived first-stage cores, giving it a strikingly large appearance and substantial lift capability. The mission successfully demonstrated the rocket’s ability to reach space and included coordinated landings of two side boosters.
The car was placed into an elliptical heliocentric orbit that crosses the orbit of Mars, rather than being sent to land on Mars. Images of the red Roadster against Earth became some of the launch’s most widely recognized visuals.