Elon Musk`s Roadster becomes first car in history to reach space

SpaceX launched the world's most powerful operational rocket into space in a much-hyped demonstration mission on Tuesday which many believe has the potential to revolutionize the space industry. 

The Falcon Heavy rocket blasted off from Florida's Kennedy Space Center at 15:45 EST (21:45 GMT), carrying a largely symbolic payload: a red Tesla Roadster belonging to SpaceX and Tesla founder Elon Musk. 

So far, everything appears to have gone as planned concerning the groundbreaking launch, with the rocket's two side boosters landing simultaneously back on the ground about eight minutes after liftoff. 

Eventually, the rocket's second stage booster will try to place the Roadster, which is playing rock legend David Bowie's Space Oddity track on a loop, into a Mars-adjacent orbit. 

But Musk also admitted that there's a chance that the rocket's second stage might not make it out of low-Earth orbit, because it will "coast" for six hours through the Van Allen radiation belt, where he said the rocket may "get whacked pretty hard." 

The Falcon Heavy is essentially comprised of three of the company's Falcon 9 rockets bolted together.

With a total of 27 Merlin engines, it's capable of generating more than five million pounds (2.3 million kg) of thrust at liftoff, which is equal to the power of about eighteen 747 aircraft, according to SpaceX. 

Only the Saturn V moon rocket, last flown in 1973, delivered more payload into orbit. 

The rocket is capable of lifting 64 tons into orbit, doubling the lift capacity of the next closest operational vehicle, the Delta IV Heavy, but operates at just one-third of the cost, the company said. 

Launching the Falcon Heavy is just a small part of Musk's vast ambitions, with the pioneer already setting his sights on a grand plan to colonize Mars. But Musk's vision is still out of this world for many Americans, who are unsure if they would like to live on Mars. 

"That's a tough question, I'm not immediately [sure], it's not in my immediate plans or anything. I would like to go to space at some point, but I would probably want to return to earth. I'm not sure if I would want to retire there. Like Elon said, I would like to go to Mars but I don't want to go there on impact," said a spectator who witnessed the rocket launch.