The newly discovered asteroid, named 2018 CN41, turned out to be a Tesla launched into space by SpaceX in 2018.

The “asteroid” wasn’t a space rock after all. It was a cherry-red Tesla Roadster that Elon Musk launched into space to much fanfare in 2018 as part of a publicity stunt during the maiden flight of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket. The car, complete with a mannequin named “Starman” in the driver’s seat, had been orbiting the Sun ever since.

Harvard-affiliated astronomers mistook Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster for an asteroid near Earth. Initially flagged as "2018 CN41," the object's identity was clarified within 17 hours, sparking concerns about tracking space debris.

The case of mistaken identity was quickly resolved, but astronomers say it shows the need for transparency around craft in deep space.

A supposed asteroid turned out to be a Tesla model flying through space as a PR stunt. Such mix-ups are increasingly becoming a problem.

The Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, Mass., officially registered the new space rock Jan. 2, saying it was spotted hurling through the final frontier roughly 150,000 miles from Earth, according

The rocket launched into orbit on February 6, 2018, as part of a publicity stunt while the Falcon Heavy was being tested. Musk’s old car was fitted with a mannequin wearing a white spacesuit sitting in the driver’s seat named Starman.

Astronomers were left less than impressed when they uncovered the truth about an asteroid they'd been keeping an eye on. On January 2, scientists at the Minor Planet Center at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts, announced they had discovered an unusual asteroid.