• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

2

Meet a 71-year-old who retired as a radiologist and professor, and now runs a banana-skewer business: ‘I never want to retire. Why would you do that?’

3

China suffers another setback in effort to de-dollarize global finance as anchor in the greenback's dominance quietly exits Beijing's payment scheme

1

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

2

Meet a 71-year-old who retired as a radiologist and professor, and now runs a banana-skewer business: ‘I never want to retire. Why would you do that?’

3

China suffers another setback in effort to de-dollarize global finance as anchor in the greenback's dominance quietly exits Beijing's payment scheme

Tesla Starman Floats Past Mars At 44500mph

By
Hallie Detrick
Hallie Detrick
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Hallie Detrick
Hallie Detrick
Down Arrow Button Icon
November 6, 2018, 5:57 AM ET
Google source logo
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Elon Musk’s Starman has gone beyond Mars and is heading for the restaurant at the end of the universe.

Musk’s old Tesla Roadster and its dummy astronaut—the payload of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launched in February—sped past Mars’s orbit just shy of nine months after liftoff. Put another way, Starman floated past Mars after 99,700 listens of David Bowie’s Is There Life on Mars?

Thanks to the laws of gravity, the Roadster and Starman will also be back inside Mars’s orbit before long. The Roadster is set to orbit The Sun once every 557 days, which means it’ll start heading back towards the red planet after it reaches its furthest point from the Sun on November 8th.

Starman’s current location. Next stop, the restaurant at the end of the universe. pic.twitter.com/Ty5m8IjJpE

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 3, 2018

The Starman’s journey has already far exceeded expectations. After several failed SpaceX launches, some doubted the rocket would even get off the ground. It’s now set to drift in space for tens of millions of years (a billion according to Musk) unless it collides with Earth (6% chance), Venus (2.5% chance), or another planet.

But SpaceX isn’t resting on any laurels. Following the successful launch of a fake astronaut into space, the company is looking to get some real life astronauts to the International Space Station. If all goes well, the manned mission will launch in April 2019, marking the first manned spaceflight in the United States in almost a decade.

About the Author
By Hallie Detrick
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in


Most Popular

Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

    Latest in


    Most Popular

    © 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
    FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.