Elon Musk has launched his car into space

​SpaceX has successfully tested its reusable Falcon Heavy rocket, by sending owner Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster into space.

The test, streamed live to millions online, is a landmark moment in private space exploration, as it could mean a huge reduction in the cost of sending heavier objects into orbit and beyond.

The rockets are reusable, and two of the rocket’s three boosters demonstrated this capability by simultaneously landing on autonomous floating platforms called ‘droneships’ after launching from Florida's Kennedy Space Centre. 

It can carry up to 64 tonnes - the equivalent of five double decker buses. The cost of a launch using Falcon Heavy is around $90m – approximately a quarter of the its only proven competitor, the Delta IV Heavy. The rocket is a bigger version of the SpaceX's Falcon rocket, which is already being used for private missions. 

Billionaire Musk, who also owns Tesla, showed his eccentric side in the choice of cargo – his cherry red Tesla Roadster, which had a mannequin in a space suit placed in the driver’s seat. The radio is set to play songs from David Bowe’s Space Oddity on a loop, and the GPS screen displays the words ‘Don’t Panic’ in homage to the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Series by Douglas Adams.

The car is now in a elliptical orbit around the sun that extends as far as Mars. The Falcon Heavy could be in use for US military operations as early as next year if another planned test goes well, while it will give SpaceX confidence as it continues development of the Big Falcon Rocket – for carrying even heavier items beyond earth’s orbit.