Next A story you may have seen recently claims an asteroid spotted this month by an astronomer turned out to be a Tesla in space. By: Posted A story you may have seen recently claims an asteroid spotted this month by an astronomer turned out to be a Tesla in space. Believe it or not, this one's true. In 2018, Elon Musk and SpaceX launched a Tesla Roadster into space as the payload for the maiden flight of the Falcon Heavy rocket. The car was equipped with cameras to provide stunning views of Earth and a mannequin behind the wheel. That vehicle was recently spotted by an amateur astronomer and the Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, MA even designated it as a near-Earth asteroid. But after realizing what it actually was, the Center removed the item from its records. Copyright 2025 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Sign up for the