Posted: Sun, Dec 10, 2017, 7:12 AM ET (1212 GMT)
Elon Musk says the first flight of the Falcon Heavy rocket will carry a very unusual payload: his Tesla Roadster sports car. In tweets late December 1, Musk said the launch, now scheduled for January, will feature "my midnight cherry Tesla Roadster playing Space Oddity. Destination is Mars orbit." After some confusion about whether Musk was joking, a company official, speaking on background, later confirmed the payload was real, but offered no additional details about it. Musk claimed earlier this year the test flight of the long-delayed heavy-lift rocket would carry the "silliest thing we can imagine."

Related Links:

•  SpaceNews article
•  Space.com article
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•  Ars Technica article
•  Washington Post article