Not many people probably took Elon Musk seriously when he suggested his Tesla Roadster was destined for space.
Musk tweeted that the Roadster would be in "deep space for a billion years or so," and as it turns out, he wasn't joking.
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
Related: Top Gear co-host's feud with Tesla Model X creator Elon Musk reignites
Musk posted pictures on Instagram of the Roadster being loaded onto the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket's payload compartment.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BdA94kVgQhU/
"A Red Car for the Red Planet Test flights of new rockets usually contain mass simulators in the form of concrete or steel blocks," Musk wrote. "That seemed extremely boring. Of course, anything boring is terrible, especially companies, so we decided to send something unusual, something that made us feel. The payload will be an original Tesla Roadster, playing Space Oddity, on a billion year elliptic Mars orbit."
The SpaceX rocket is expected to be launched in January, and we'll see if Musk does in fact send the Roadster into space.