Time passes quickly when you float in space’s cold and sterile environment. It has been five years since SpaceX test-launched its powerful Falcon Heavy rocket for the first time; on February 6, 2018, the launch famously propelled SpaceX founder Elon Musk’s personal Tesla Roadster into space, which remains drifting to this day.
Much has occurred since then, such as Musk’s activity on Twitter, extensive Starship development, numerous Falcon 9 launches, and additional Falcon Heavy launches. The red car and a dummy named Starman have remained in orbit around the sun throughout this period. Do you know its current location? You can visit a user-friendly website to find out.
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Whereisroadster.com monitors the position of Elon Musk’s vehicle in outer space. As of February 6, 2023, the map displays that the car has passed over the orbit of Mars. Established in 2018, Whereisroadster.com has been keeping tabs on the vehicle during its venture through space. The founder, Ben Pearson, has indicated that the Roadster is preparing to surpass the orbit of Mars for the fourth time since its inception as it approaches its fifth anniversary in space.
The car needs roughly 557 days to complete a full orbit around the sun. As per Pearson’s findings, Tesla has surpassed its 36,000-mile warranty by an overwhelming 70,050 times. Scientists have already assessed the likelihood of the car colliding with Earth at a mere 6% probability over the next million years. Furthermore, they have projected that the Roadster will have a relatively close approach with Earth in 2091, within a few hundred thousand kilometres from the planet where it was manufactured.
The space environment is unforgiving; thus, it’s reasonable to assume that the Roadster and its driver have suffered some wear and tear by now. What lies ahead for them? Could the car endlessly roam the galaxy, or will humans recover it someday and preserve it in a museum? Would someone be interested in acquiring an electric vehicle with low mileage and many histories?
