Seven years ago, Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, launched his personal Tesla Roadster into space. This month, astronomers at the Minor Planet Center, part of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, briefly misidentified the vehicle as an asteroid. The object, initially designated 2018 CN41, was registered by the Minor Planet Center before being removed a day later when its orbit was recognized as matching that of Musk's Roadster attached to the Falcon Heavy upper stage (2018-017A).
The Roadster's journey began in February 2018, launched aboard the inaugural flight of SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket. While the initial plan was for an elliptical solar orbit, extending slightly past Mars and returning towards Earth, the car surpassed Mars' orbit and ventured into the asteroid belt.
At the time of the misidentification, the Roadster was less than 150,000 miles from Earth – a distance closer than the moon's orbit. This proximity highlights the importance of tracking space objects, as noted by astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell. He emphasized the potential consequences of such errors, particularly in scenarios involving costly space probes sent to investigate what are later discovered to be artificial objects.
This incident underscores the ongoing challenge of monitoring and cataloging objects in space, highlighting the need for accurate identification to avoid misallocation of resources and potential mission failures.
