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SpaceX & Space
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Seven Years After Falcon Heavy Launched a Tesla to Space, SpaceX and Tesla Proved Everyone Wrong | Taha Abbasi
Exactly seven years ago today, the world witnessed one of the most audacious and inspiring moments in the history of space exploration. Taha Abbasi reflects on the significance of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy launch that sent a cherry-red Tesla Roadster into orbit around the Sun — and how that single moment foreshadowed the extraordinary rise of both companies.
February 6, 2018: The Day That Changed Everything
When SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy roared off the launchpad at Kennedy Space Center on February 6, 2018, many doubted it would even work. The world’s most powerful operational rocket was undertaking its maiden voyage with no paying customer — instead, its payload was Elon Musk’s personal cherry-red Tesla Roadster, complete with a mannequin named “Starman” wearing a SpaceX spacesuit, and David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” playing on repeat.
Critics called it a publicity stunt. Wall Street analysts said it was frivolous. But for those paying attention, it was a masterclass in vision and execution — a declaration that Taha Abbasi sees echoed in every major technology breakthrough: sometimes you have to do things that simply inspire people.
“There should be some things in the world that simply inspire people.”
— Elon Musk, 2018
Where Tesla and SpaceX Were in 2018
To appreciate how remarkable this moment was, consider where both companies stood in early 2018:
Tesla was deep in what Musk famously called “production hell” with the Model 3. The company was hemorrhaging cash, missing production targets, and skeptics were writing obituaries. Tesla’s market cap hovered around $55-60 billion — a valuation that critics insisted was wildly overinflated for a company that couldn’t even build cars efficiently.
SpaceX was the aggressive underdog of the aerospace industry, making risky bets that established players like Boeing and Lockheed Martin dismissed. Falcon Heavy had been delayed for years, and many experts doubted such an ambitious rocket would succeed on its first flight.
Yet Elon Musk chose this moment — this fragile, precarious moment — to strap his personal car to an experimental rocket and shoot it toward Mars orbit. As Taha Abbasi often notes when analyzing technology leadership: bold moves in difficult times separate the visionaries from the pretenders.
The Skeptics Were Wrong
As Teslarati commemorated in their seven-year anniversary piece, the trajectory of both companies since 2018 represents perhaps the greatest vindication story in modern tech history:
Tesla in 2026:
- Market cap exceeding $1 trillion
- Millions of vehicles delivered annually
- Full Self-Driving technology deployed in real-world robotaxi operations
- Optimus humanoid robots entering production
- Energy storage dominance with Megapack installations worldwide
SpaceX in 2026:
- Starship — the most powerful rocket ever built — operational
- Starlink providing internet to millions across the globe
- More launches annually than any other entity in history
- Recently merged with xAI to accelerate space-based computing
And the Roadster? It’s still out there, orbiting the Sun in its elliptical path between Earth and Mars — a permanent monument to audacity.
The Real Message Behind “Starman”
What Taha Abbasi finds most remarkable about the Falcon Heavy launch isn’t the engineering achievement — though that was extraordinary. It’s the psychology behind the decision.
Musk didn’t need to launch his car. He could have used a concrete block or sandbags, as is standard for test flights. But he understood something that most corporate leaders miss: inspiration is a force multiplier.
That single image — a convertible sports car floating in the void of space with Earth as its backdrop — captured the imagination of millions. It reminded a generation that humanity could still do bold, seemingly impossible things. It wasn’t about the car. It was about proving that the future is still worth dreaming about.
Watch the Historic Launch
Seven Years Later: The Legacy Lives On
Today, Taha Abbasi sees the Falcon Heavy launch as a turning point not just for Tesla and SpaceX, but for how the world thinks about ambitious technology companies. The skeptics who dismissed both companies in 2018 have been proven decisively, spectacularly wrong.
Tesla went from production hell to global EV dominance. SpaceX went from risky startup to humanity’s primary pathway to space. And somewhere out there, Starman continues his silent orbit — a reminder that vision, persistence, and a willingness to look foolish in pursuit of something great can change the world.
Happy seven-year anniversary, Starman. The skeptics were wrong. The dreamers were right.
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Taha Salahuddin Abbasi
Engineer. Builder. Architect.
