Astronomers' cosmic blunder: Tesla Roadster mistaken for asteroid
Astronomers mistook a Tesla for an asteroid. The car was launched into space in 2018 as a test payload for the first flight of the Falcon Heavy rocket.
Astronomers announced the discovery of a new asteroid near Earth, but it turned out to be remnants of Elon Musk’s red Tesla Roadster and the Starman mannequin placed inside it. The object was launched into space aboard a SpaceX rocket in 2018. This mistake highlights the problem of space missions littering space, which could cause issues for scientists.
Tesla mistaken for an asteroid
On 2nd January, the International Astronomical Union added a new object to the list of asteroids orbiting near Earth. The supposed object was identified by an anonymous amateur astronomer from Turkey, using publicly available data. However, just 17 hours later, the Union retracted the discovery after the amateur scientist realised the mistake.
The Tesla Roadster, previously used by Elon Musk, was launched into space on 6th February 2018 as a test payload for the first flight of the Falcon Heavy rocket. The event attracted considerable attention, partly due to the Starman mannequin seated in the driver's seat. The journey to conquer space was accompanied by David Bowie’s album "Space Oddity."
Space debris
The car and its "driver" were heading towards Mars after leaving Earth's gravity and were supposed to enter a stable orbit around the Red Planet. There were concerns it could become a potential threat to Mars if it accidentally landed there. The object missed its target and entered a stable orbit around the Sun, occasionally passing by Mars.
The Tesla has already completed about 4 orbits around the Sun, travelling at a speed of about 72,000 km/h. This means the car has exceeded its initial 58,000 km warranty about 160,000 times over.
The car is likely now unrecognisable after years of exposure to intense solar radiation and being battered by tiny fragments of space rocks, which have destroyed the vehicle.
This is not an isolated case of human-made objects being mistaken for asteroids. The International Astronomical Union has previously temporarily listed several spacecraft, rockets, and other debris orbiting space as asteroids.
Consequences of mistaken identifications can be costly
Such mistakes can lead to false alarms regarding near-Earth asteroids. Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at Harvard and the Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, stated: "Worst case [scenario], you spend a billion [dollars] launching a space probe to study an asteroid and only realize it's not an asteroid when you get there."
Space agencies and private companies need to track their products accurately in Earth orbit, but currently, there are no regulations forcing them to do the same for spacecraft and debris that leave Earth's gravity, like the Tesla Roadster.
"Such transparency is essential for promoting space situational awareness, reducing interference between missions, [and] avoiding interference with observations of natural objects," warned members of the American Astronomical Society in a 2024 statement.
