Time flies when you're floating aimlessly through the cold, inhospitable wasteland that is space. And it's already been seven years since SpaceX test-launched its powerful Falcon Heavy rocket, shooting founder Elon Musk's personal Tesla Roadster into space.

According to SpaceX’s own calculation, the Roadster completed its first orbit around the Sun in August 2019 and made its first close approach to Mars on Oct. 7, 2020.

Elon Musk has long railed against the U.S. government, saying a crushing number of federal probes and safety programs have stymied Tesla, his electric car company, and its efforts to create fleets of robotaxis and other self-driving automobiles.