SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy Rocket Officially Passes Mars

It’s already been almost nine months since SpaceX launched its Falcon Heavy rocket, deploying a test payload into a Sun-centric orbit. Currently, the only passenger onboard, Tesla’s Roadster, officially made its way past Mars, which marks another milestone for the private spaceflight leader.

This past weekend, SpaceX announced that Starman has made it past Mars’ orbit, which was one of the more ambitious goals for the test launch. The Tesla Roadster and its “driver” are still zooming through space, but it won’t go much further before looping back around towards the Sun again and repeating its trip for an undetermined amount of time

The launch of the Falcon Heavy was a monumental occasion, particularly considering the company and founder Elon Musk wasn’t even sure if the vehicle was going to make it all the way into space. Musk himself was careful to temper expectations, stating that it would be considered a success as long as it didn’t blow up on the launch pad.

Evidently, things went much better than Musk had expected, and the launch seemed to go off without any issues. The Tesla and its Starman passenger were shown on the live video feed as the exterior shell of the payload bay opened up. It was very exciting to watch, and it’s been a big accomplishment for SpaceX ever since.

So what’s next for SpaceX? These days all eyes are on the company’s BFR, which is short for “Big Falcon Rocket” (or maybe “Big F*cking Rocket,” if you prefer Musk’s version of how he came up with the name). The BFR is SpaceX’s pet project that they say will help move mankind to new scientific milestones, like a trip to Mars.

SpaceX’s Starman, still seated in his Tesla Roadster, just passed Mars

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