SAN FRANCISCO - Space X and Tesla CEO Elon Musk hinted that his companies might once again team up to send a vehicle into space, and this time the new 'Cybertruck' could be headed to the Red Planet.
On Sunday Twitter user @C3LT_Games asked whether Starship would have a Cybertruck on board during the 2022 cargo mission to Mars and Musk wittingly replied with a smiling face with sunglasses emoji.
This is not the first time that Musk has shown his willingness to do that.
Last month, in another conversation on Twitter, he gave the same signal when a Twitter user asked him if the next Falcon Heavy would carry a Cybertruck, to which Musk responded "Maybe on Starship? It's def got the payload capacity…"
According to Teslarati, the Cybertruck has also been likened to NASA's Mars Concept Rover unveiled in 2017. Electric vehicles, incidentally, can run on Mars since they don't need oxygen like internal combustion engines.
In February 2018, SpaceX launched its reusable heavy-lift launch vehicle - Falcon Heavy for the first time along with a cherry-red Tesla Roadster with a mannequin called "Starman" behind the wheel.
The Cybertruck was inspired by "Lotus Esprit S1" from the Bond film "The Spy Who Loved Me".
The vehicle's bodyshell is made from ultra-hard, cold-rolled stainless steel and it is said to be resistant to dents and long-term corrosion.
Tesla is selling it in three versions, the range-topping tri-motor all-wheel-drive model offering a range of over 800km. For the more budget conscious, Tesla will also be offering a dual-motor AWD model, with a 483km range, as well as a rear-driven single-motor variant that achieves a more humble 400km range.
Tesla plans to start manufacturing the truck around late 2021. Prices start at $39 900 (R570 000) and so far over 250 000 of them have been ordered, according to sources.