ROADSTER FLIGHT LAB
MISSION 01 / DEEP SPACE

Find Elon's
Tesla.

A familiar car. A very long way from home.

FICTIONAL SEARCH SECTOR · HELIOCENTRIC FRAME
  1. 01
    Search the sectorScan for optical contacts
  2. 02
    Find StarmanScan a contact within 180 m
  3. 03
    Capture the discoveryMatch drift · get the photograph
Scan the sector to reveal optical contacts.
0.0m/s LOCAL SPEED
SELECTED RANGE—No contact selected
MANEUVERING RESERVE100%
650 m/s Δv available
MISSION ELAPSED00:00AWAITING PILOT
YOUR FIRST OFF-WORLD MISSION

Somewhere out there,
Starman is waiting.

Launch a scan. Follow the contacts. Find the original red Roadster and hold steady for the photograph.

Fictional orbital flight rig and search area.
The original 2018 Roadster is the real-world inspiration.
FLIGHT PLAN / MISSION 01

Find Elon's Tesla

Explore a small fictional search sector to find a representation of the original red Roadster. The car, Starman mannequin and attached upper stage are based on the real 2018 Falcon Heavy payload.

Your mission

Press F to reveal three contacts. Select one in the scanner, then fly toward it or use G for automatic approach. Scan within 180 m to identify it. Find Starman, face the car at 12–65 m, and match relative speed below 2 m/s for two seconds. Then press Enter to take the discovery photograph.

Space controls

W / SForward / reverse thrustA / DYaw left / rightI / KPitch down / upQ / ERoll left / rightJ / LStrafe left / rightSpace / CtrlRise / descendShift + WHigh thrustBBrake relative to selected contactF / TabScan / next contactG / HAuto-approach / drift assistanceP / R / CPause / restart / camera

Turn assistance off to coast and rotate freely. Assistance and automatic approach spend the same propellant reserve as manual thrust. Touch controls support forward/reverse, pitch, yaw, vertical movement and braking. Drag to orbit and scroll to zoom in Orbit camera.

The real history

SpaceX launched the Roadster on Falcon Heavy's first flight on February 6, 2018. NASA describes Starman in the driver's seat, the car attached to the second stage, and its departure into an orbit around the Sun. Read NASA's original account ↗

The game assumptions

This is not a live tracker. Contact coordinates, the compressed planetary backdrop, the condition of the car and the orbital maneuvering rig are fictional. The mission begins after an imagined orbital transfer. The new Roadster is not asserted to be capable of reaching orbit. Suction fans have no effect in vacuum.

Flight uses a short-range frame moving with an orbit: no atmospheric drag or world-down gravity, with solar gravity gradients omitted. Thruster reserve is an abstract delta-v budget, not real tank specifications. Scores are stored only in this browser. A practice refill makes that attempt ineligible for the best score.