SpaceX CEO Elon Musk Plans to Shoot a Tesla to Mars

Is SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is planning to combine two of his most famous ventures into one out of this world stunt?

On Friday, Musk announced plans to shoot his popular car into an outer space voyage to Mars next month. In a tweet, the billionaire inventor said the cargo for his upcoming Falcon Heavy launch would include his very own Tesla Roadster.

“Falcon Heavy to launch next month from Apollo 11 pad at the Cape. Will have double thrust of next largest rocket. Guaranteed to be exciting, one way or another,” said Musk. “Payload will be my midnight cherry Tesla Roadster playing ‘Space Oddity.’ Destination is Mars orbit. Will be in deep space for a billion years or so if it doesn’t blow up on ascent.”

Also Read: Elon Musk Unveils Name of LA Car Sled Venture, 'Ready' to Dig More Tunnels

Falcon Heavy to launch next month from Apollo 11 pad at the Cape. Will have double thrust of next largest rocket. Guaranteed to be exciting, one way or another.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 2, 2017

Payload will be my midnight cherry Tesla Roadster playing Space Oddity. Destination is Mars orbit. Will be in deep space for a billion years or so if it doesn’t blow up on ascent.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 2, 2017

That last bit about blowing up is likely an allusion to the recent — and disastrous — attempted SpaceX launch of Falcon 9, a rocket that exploded on the launchpad in Texas last year. An investigation by SpaceX later concluded that the rocket burnt up after as a result of super cold oxygen mixing with carbon fiber located in the fuel tank, Popular Science reported.

Despite the incident, SpaceX remains determined to lead the way on human to Mars spaceflight. “Falcon Heavy was designed from the outset to carry humans into space and restores the possibility of flying missions with crew to the Moon or Mars,” a company explainer on the rocket states.

Also Read: Elon Musk Unveils Name of LA Car Sled Venture, 'Ready' to Dig More Tunnels

Musk, however, may have been getting a bit ahead of himself with the tweets, as Verge reported that the Tesla chief could have been joking.

The company did not immediately respond to request for clarification from TheWrap on Saturday.

7 Rad Projects Elon Musk Has Worked On (Photos)

Elon Musk has been at the forefront of Silicon Valley innovation for two decades. The South Africa-born entrepreneur has been linked to a number of high-profile, intriguing ventures... so let's take a look.
Getty Images
Pay Pal

Musk made his initial fortune thanks to PayPal, which he sold to eBay in 2002 for $1.5 billion. He made a cool $165 million off the deal.
Getty Images
Tesla Motors

Instead of buying an island and living the high life after the PayPal sell, Musk went to work on getting the world off its dependency on oil. He founded Tesla Motors (now Tesla Inc.) in 2003, taking over an old Toyota-General Motors manufacturing plant in the Bay Area. The slick electric cars can travel 250 miles without a charge and sell for upwards of $100,000. Its "mass" car, the Model 3, is due out in 2018.
Getty Images
Space X

Perhaps the project most important to Musk is SpaceX. Founded in 2002, the rocket company has worked with NASA on several launches. SpaceX made history when it developed "recycled" rockets that are able to be launched, landed and reused. Even more ambitious, Musk wants to send manned missions to Mars within the next decade... and colonize the red planet.
Getty Images
Hyperloop

Musk frequently travels back and forth between NorCal and SoCal, and he wants to do it quickly. Enter Hyperloop, where passengers will be put in pods and shot through tubes connecting San Francisco and Los Angeles at speeds of up to 760 miles per hour. Musk sketched the concept in 2013, and it's now being pursued by a group in L.A. full-time.
Getty Images
Neuralink

Musk is also big on artificial intelligence and hopes to find a way to directly connect humans to machines. That's where his Neuralink comes in. Co-founded by Musk in 2016, the company aims to integrate our minds with AI advancements via chip implants.
Via @nbashaw on Twitter
The Boring Company

The Boring Company aims to alleviate traffic by building an underground network of tunnels. Cars would be able to latch on to giant sleds and zip through tunnels at 125 mph or passengers can take futuristic glass buses if they want.
The Boring Company
SolarCity

Founded by Musk's cousins in 2006, SolarCity is the second-largest provider of solar panels in the USA. Musk owned 22 percent of its shares when Tesla bought-out the company for more than $2.5 billion in 2016.
Tesla Inc.

1 of 8

The real-life Tony Stark is the poster boy for Silicon Valley entrepreneurship

Elon Musk has been at the forefront of Silicon Valley innovation for two decades. The South Africa-born entrepreneur has been linked to a number of high-profile, intriguing ventures... so let's take a look.

View In Gallery

7 Rad Projects Elon Musk Has Worked On (Photos)

7DAYFREETRIAL

7
DAY
FREE
TRIAL