Apertif Tracking Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster

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Astron has been requested to do live tracking of the Tesla Roadster that was recently brought into space. Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster is an electric sports car and was the dummy payload for the Falcon Heavy test flight last February. Starman, a dummy dressed in a spacesuit, occupies the driver's seat. The 2008 Tesla Roadster car and Falcon Heavy rocket are products of Elon Musk's companies, Tesla and SpaceX. This electric car was previously used by Musk himself for commuting. It is the only consumer car ever sent into space.

ASTRON has a contract with SpaceX to help develop tracking equipment for their In Space Monitoring Facility. Using the WSRT and dedicated hard- and software, the Space Monitoring Facility is able to qualify the signal performance of the Tesla Roadster in orbit. The measurements include battery power, signal power, tire pressure etc. in the analogue domain, and eye-diagrams, code tracking, chip rates etc. in the digital domain.

The Tesla's signal power levels are extremely low, therefore large antennas are needed to perform the measurements with the necessary accuracy. So it is a perfect occasion to show the true power of Apertif in action and that it is uniquely equipped to perform this task.

The image shows the schedule of the first live tracking in the early hours of today (4:30 UT - 8:30 UT) as it passes over Westerbork.