Musk demonstrates Tesla Roadster with SpaceX thrusters that briefly leave the ground

Elon Musk showed a redesigned Tesla Roadster on the evening of October 15, 2026, at SpaceX’s rocket test site near Waco, Texas. The two-seat electric sports car used a combination of underside suction fans and cold-gas thrusters to drive up an inverted ramp, launch off the end, rotate in the air, and land. Later it jumped over a line of other Tesla vehicles while performing a roll.

Tesla vehicle engineering chief Lars Moravy said the car can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in under one second. Top speed is listed above 230 mph with a range of more than 300 miles. Three versions are planned: a road-ready Performance model with the suction system, a Thrust model with rear thrusters, and an invite-only Rocket model with multiple thrusters for the aerial maneuvers. Reservations opened on Tesla’s site; the flying version is not approved for public roads.

Musk described the vehicle as a collaboration between Tesla and SpaceX and said production would begin in 2028. Early depositors from the 2017 announcement have waited nearly a decade. The demonstration was remote-controlled. Musk noted the prototype was “not necessarily a safety-optimized car.”

The event drew immediate attention to the gap between staged thruster-assisted hops and a vehicle that could be driven and flown on public roads under existing regulations. Pricing was not disclosed. Tesla has a history of delayed launches on the Roadster program.

Observers noted that the thruster system relies on high-pressure air tanks rather than combustion, limiting sustained flight. Whether the production cars will include any airborne capability remains open.