Elon Musk’s spacefaring Tesla Roadster finishes its first trip around the sun

A year in the life of Starman lasts about 557 of our Earth days.

The Tesla Roadster that SpaceX sent into outer space in Feb. 2018 has now completed one full  orbit around the sun. The distance “driven” amounts to roughly 762 million miles which, according to Where Is Roadster?, means the car’s 36,000 mile warranty has been exceeded more than 21,000 times.

Good luck getting that thing serviced, Starman.

It’s been quite a journey for the spacesuit-clad dummy who should still be positioned at the wheel of the spacefaring Roadster. He ended up there initially as part of a test launch for the Falcon Heavy, a reusable SpaceX rocket that’s designed to carry heavy payloads beyond Earth’s atmosphere.

Space enthusiasts have been monitoring Starman’s progress ever since, watching the skies for his occasional appearances. He even inspired a totally bizarre video game.

The last time we talked about Starman at Mashable, it was Nov. 2018, nine months after launch. At that point, Starman and his trusty Roadster had already made it past Mars. Now, the car is approaching the red planet again — only 69 million miles to go at the time of publish, so skip the “are we there yet?” please — as it starts a second circle around the sun.

Read more here:

https://mashable.com/article/spacex-tesla-roadstar-starman-completes-first-orbit/