Musk launched his personal Tesla Roadster into space on February 6, 2018, as a test payload for the Falcon Heavy rocket.

The “asteroid” wasn’t a space rock after all. It was a cherry-red Tesla Roadster that Elon Musk launched into space to much fanfare in 2018 as part of a publicity stunt during the maiden flight of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket. The car, complete with a mannequin named “Starman” in the driver’s seat, had been orbiting the Sun ever since.

The Minor Planet Center seemingly mistook Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster for a small body in space earlier this month, much to the fascination of the billionaire.

The Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, Mass., officially registered the new space rock Jan. 2, saying it was spotted hurling through the final frontier roughly 150,000 miles from Earth, according

The case of mistaken identity was quickly resolved, but astronomers say it shows the need for transparency around craft in deep space.

It was in 2018, when Tesla and SpaceX boss Elon Musk took the audacious step of 'strapping' a car before launching it into space. In February 2018, Elon Musk's SpaceX launched a Tesla Roadster to Falcon Heavy Test flight. An Asteroid About To Hit Earth?

An object in space that astronomers initially identified as an alarmingly close asteroid headed towards Earth turns out to be a Tesla car that Elon Musk launched in 2018 as part of a publicity campaign.

A near-Earth "asteroid" recently spotted by astronomers poring through telescope data has turned out to be Elon Musk's car. On January 2, the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center announced the discovery of a new asteroid.

Instead of using traditional test cargo like concrete or steel blocks, Elon Musk chose his personal Tesla Roadster to make the mission more memorable. The car has been drifting th