Elon Musk rockets up the rep of his Tesla and SpaceX brands with PR stunt
Tesla and SpaceX owner Elon Musk knows how to play the crowds but he seized headlines by firing his Tesla Roadster into space atop one of his rockets, a powerful cross promotion for both brands.
Tesla in space
Musk, who recently released a flamethrower to the public, a product sold by a group named the Boring Company at the behest of fans, is drawing more attention to his portfolio of brands with ludicrous stunts.
As part of his mission to Mars trip experiment, SpaceX launched a red Tesla Roadster convertible into Earth's orbit, whereupon they will try and get it to Mars.
In the car was a dummy called Starman at the wheel, reminiscent of Top Gear’s The Stig. The dashboard had a message, ‘Don’t Panic’ written upon it and David Bowie music was blaring from the speakers – although in space nobody can hear you sing.
While the payload serves as a visually stunning stunt, the Falcon Heavy ship is on a mission to Mars, having taken off from Cape Canaveral on Tuesday.
Musk drummed up buzz for the event on Twitter.
Live view of Starman https://t.co/gvSlztlE6l
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 6, 2018
View from SpaceX Launch Control. Apparently, there is a car in orbit around Earth. pic.twitter.com/QljN2VnL1O
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 6, 2018
He even engaged in a friendly skirmish with Amazon chief Jeff Bezos whose own space company Blue Origin competes with SpaceX.
Best of luck @SpaceX with the Falcon Heavy launch tomorrow – hoping for a beautiful, nominal flight! @BlueOrigin #GradatimFerociter
— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) February 5, 2018
Woohoo!
— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) February 7, 2018
The shuttle is well on its way to Mars now.
Third burn successful. Exceeded Mars orbit and kept going to the Asteroid Belt. pic.twitter.com/bKhRN73WHF
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 7, 2018