Tesla Roadster is ready for deep-in-space travel toward Red Planet
The founder and head of space technology company Space X Elon Musk is preparing to send later this month superheavy carrier rocket with his own electric car.
Mega-rocket "Falcon Heavy" will be launched from the launchpad of the Kennedy Space Center, located near Cape Canaveral, Florida.
The heavyweight of the space industry, with a carrying capacity of over 63 tons (to low earth orbit), are equipped with 27 Merlin engines and three Falcon 9 rocket-modules, as well as reusable elements for controlled return and soft landing of modules that will return to Earth after lifts off during the test flight.
“At 2,500 tons of thrust, equal to 18 Boeing 747 aircraft at full throttle, it will be the most powerful rocket in the world by a factor of two”, Said Musk.
On board of the rocket, the cherry red color Tesla Roadster 2008 will be packed in separate compartment as a payload. According to the idea of a billionaire, the carrier will deliver the car into orbit of Mars.
Two detachable booster rockets will return to Cape Canaveral after the lift off of Falcon Heavy before entering orbit. Later, the central unit will disconnect from the rocket.
The main module with an electric car will continue to move in space toward the orbit of the red planet. It will travel a distance of 225 million kilometers. On the orbit of Mars, the roadster, with playing “Space Oddity” in the cabin, will stay for a billion years, if it doesn’t explode along the way.
It is planned to fully test all rocket engines this week before the first launch, which is expected to be a spectacular and memorable event.
