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Time flies when you navigate the space aboard a Tesla Roadster, huh? It's hard to believe that it's been almost nine months since SpaceX launched its Falcon Heavy rocket, sending a test payload into the Sun-centric orbit, but here we are. Now, the only passenger who took part in the adventure officially crossed Mars, marking a new milestone for the leader in private spaceflight.
Over the weekend, SpaceX revealed that Starman had crossed the orbit of Mars, which was one of the most ambitious goals of the launch of the test. The Tesla Roadster and his "pilot" continue to roll in space, but they will not go much further before returning back to the Sun and repeating his journey for, well, we do not really know how many time.
The launch of the Falcon Heavy was a truly monumental event, especially considering that the founder of the company, Elon Musk, was not even sure that the vehicle reached the space. Musk in particular has been careful to temper expectations, noting that as long as it does not explode on the launch pad, it would be considered a success.
Of course, things went much better than Musk had publicly feared, and the launch seemed to be going smoothly. The Tesla and its passenger Starman were revealed on live video recording when the outer shell of the payload compartment opened. It was very cool to watch and since then it has been a big feather in SpaceX's cap.
SpaceX has since left the Falcon Heavy, at least in terms of advertising. All eyes are now turning to the company's BFR, which means "Big Falcon Rocket" (or maybe "Big F * cking Rocket" if you prefer Musk's story about how he invented his name ). The BFR is the darling of SpaceX which, he says, will help propel humanity towards new scientific milestones, such as journeys to Mars.
Image source: SpaceX
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