Flight and the SpaceX package
The idea that the new Tesla Roadster could fly comes from its rocket-style cold-gas thrusters, first promised as the "SpaceX package". This page covers what was promised, what the 2026 demonstration showed, and how the thruster versions work.
The 2018 promise
In June 2018 Elon Musk described a "SpaceX option package" for the Roadster. It was to use about ten cold-gas thrusters fed by composite pressure tanks, similar to those on SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, holding air at about 10,000 psi, with the tanks taking the place of the back seats. The aim was faster acceleration, braking and cornering. In a September 2018 interview Musk said the thrusters "could make it fly."[1]
What the 2026 demonstration showed
At the October 15, 2026 unveiling, the car:[2]
- drove up a curved ramp and held itself upside down, using a fan that sucks the car onto the surface
- launched off the end, flipped in the air and landed
- jumped over a row of Tesla cars in a second run
Musk said the car has altitude-control thrusters and main thrusters at the back, so it can "fly like a rocket", and remarked "Well, it worked" after the stunt.[2]
Does it really fly?
Not in the way an airplane or helicopter does. What was shown were short, thruster-assisted jumps and a ramp stunt, not sustained flight. Before the event, Electrek reported that the demonstration had been scaled back from "flying" to a short hover, and that the demonstration car was remote-operated and not street-legal.[3] Musk himself called it "not necessarily a safety-optimized car."[2]
How the thruster versions work
According to details reported by Top Gear:[1]
| Version | Thrusters | Gas supply | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Performance | None | — | No thrusters |
| Thrust | Four nozzles at the rear | 200-liter nitrogen tank at about 10,000 psi | One fill gives about five seconds of thrust; refilling takes two to six hours |
| Rocket | Six more thrusters at the front and sides (ten in all) | Extra 400-liter tank in place of the passenger seat (600 liters total) | Invitation only; reported as for off-road use |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Tesla Roadster (second generation)", Wikipedia, read October 16, 2026 (summarizing Electrek, Top Gear, TechCrunch and other reports).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Nathan Rennolds, "'Well, it worked': Elon Musk unveils new Tesla Roadster that can fly", Euronews, October 16, 2026.
- ↑ Fred Lambert, "Tesla sets Roadster event for Thursday after nearly 9 years of delays", Electrek, October 13, 2026.