ention ally ▁launch ing ▁a ▁car ▁to ▁a ▁long - l ived ▁orbit ▁is ▁not ▁what ▁you ▁want ▁to ▁hear ▁from ▁a ▁company ▁planning ▁to ▁fly ▁ 1 0 0 0 s ▁sat ell ites ▁in ▁LE O ." ▁ ▁The ▁Planet ary ▁Society ▁was ▁concerned ▁that ▁launch ing ▁a ▁non - ster ile ▁object ▁to ▁inter plan et ary ▁space ▁may ▁risk ▁bi ological ▁cont am ination ▁of ▁a ▁foreign ▁world . ▁Scient ists ▁at ▁Pur due ▁University ▁thought ▁it ▁was ▁the ▁" dir ti est " ▁man - made ▁object ▁ever ▁sent ▁into ▁space , ▁in ▁terms ▁of ▁b acter ia ▁amount , ▁not ing ▁the ▁car ▁was ▁previously ▁driven ▁on ▁Los ▁Angeles ▁fre ew ays . ▁Although ▁the ▁vehicle ▁will ▁be ▁ster il ized ▁by ▁solar ▁radiation ▁over ▁time , ▁some ▁b acter ia ▁might ▁surv ive ▁on ▁pieces ▁of ▁pl astic ▁which ▁could ▁cont amin ate ▁Mars ▁in ▁the ▁distant ▁future . ▁ ▁Or bit ▁tracking ▁▁ ▁The ▁car ▁and ▁the ▁upper ▁stage ▁were ▁pass iv ated ▁by ▁intention ally ▁removing ▁remaining ▁chemical ▁and ▁elect rical ▁energy , ▁at ▁which ▁point ▁they ▁ceased ▁transm itting ▁te lem etry . ▁Based ▁on ▁optical ▁observations ▁made ▁using ▁a ▁robot ic ▁teles cope ▁at ▁the ▁W arr umb ung le ▁Observ atory , ▁Dub bo , ▁Australia ▁and ▁ref in ement ▁of ▁the ▁orbit , ▁a ▁close ▁re - enc ounter ▁with ▁Earth ▁( origin ally ▁predicted ▁for ▁ 2 0 7 3 ) ▁is ▁not ▁possible . ▁In ▁October ▁ 2