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By Denise Chow
"Starman" went through the solar system without a hitch, at least until now.
The model wearing a spacesuit and his Tesla Red Roadster now exceed the orbit of Mars after being launched into space in February aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, announced the aircraft manufacturer in a tweet.
The tweet includes a diagram showing Starman's current position on his orbital path, as well as a timid reference to "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", Douglas Adams' sci-fi comedy series: " Next step, the restaurant at the end of the universe. "
It is said that Musk is a fan of the series.
The launch of February 6 marked the maiden flight of the Falcon Heavy, a gigantic 27-engine monster designed to transport astronauts into deep space.
The SpaceX launch broadcast stream provided spectacular views of Starman and the electric convertible in space, including spectacular Starman and Roadster shots with the Earth in the background.
Starman sits in an elliptical orbit around the sun, with a maximum estimated speed of 7 miles per second. Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, said the device could continue to orbit "for millions or even billions of years," suggesting that the model still has a long way to go. As Seth Shostak, a senior astronomer at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California, told NBC News MACH at the time, "This car is surely destined to accumulate billions of kilometers".
The second Falcon Heavy flight is scheduled for January 2019.
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