Tesla × SpaceX · Unveiled Oct 15, 2026 · McGregor, Texas
Roadster
It flies. Briefly.
Nine years after its first reveal, Tesla showed the next-generation Roadster at SpaceX’s rocket test site. The prototype climbed a curved ramp upside down, launched off the end on compressed-air thrusters, rolled 180° in mid-air and came down on its wheels.
Live 0–60 run
0.81 s
On Tesla’s own timer, thrusters firing
Configurations
3
Performance · Thrust · Rocket
Production target
2028
Per Musk on stage
Price
TBA
Not announced at the reveal
Mini-game · Thruster test
Roadster Run
Hold Space to fire the thrusters, press F to barrel-roll. Clear the trenches, land level.
Runs are saved to the global leaderboard automatically once you’ve entered a name · Don’t try this on public roads
Global Leaderboard · Top 10
— Configurations
Three Roadsters
Tesla’s claims for a pre-production car · not independently verified
Performance
< 1.6 s
0–60 mph
- Two seats
- No thrusters
Thrust
< 0.9 s
0–60 mph
- Rear compressed-air thrusters
- Sub-second launches
Rocket
< 0.59 s
0–60 mph
- Single seat
- Thrusters that can lift the car off the ground
- 230+ mph top speed (claimed)
Tesla quotes more than 300 miles of range. Musk said on stage that the car is “not necessarily a safety-optimized car”, and the flight features are not approved for public roads.
— The demo
What happened at McGregor
- 01
Upside down
A suction system held the prototype to a curved ramp while it drove through it inverted.
- 02
Launch
At the end of the ramp, compressed-air thrusters — “ultra high-pressure air tanks”, in Musk’s words — pushed it into the air.
- 03
180° roll
The car rolled in mid-air and landed back on its wheels.
- 04
0.81 s
A separate straight-line run hit 60 mph in 0.81 s on Tesla’s timer, short of the 0.59 s claimed for Rocket.
— Timeline
Nine years in the making
- Nov 16, 2017First revealSurprise appearance at the Tesla Semi event. Production was promised for 2020.
- Feb 6, 2018Starman launchesElon Musk’s own original Roadster flies on the Falcon Heavy demo and leaves for a heliocentric orbit.
- 2020 – 2025Years of delaysProduction slips repeatedly while the “SpaceX package” with thrusters keeps being teased.
- Sep 28, 2026Reveal postponedThe planned Oct 1 event is pushed back for weather — the demo can only run outdoors.
- Oct 15, 2026Unveiled at McGregorLive reveal at SpaceX’s Texas test site, including the thruster flight demo.
- 2028Production targetMusk’s stated start of production. A target, not a commitment.
Tesla × SpaceX · Heliocentric tracker
Starman & the Roadster
The Original Tesla Roadster
A 2008 Tesla Roadster, payload of the Falcon Heavy demo flight on Feb 6 2018. Still on a 1.32-year heliocentric orbit between Earth and Mars — the only car ever launched into deep space.
3,189
Days
16
Hrs
53
Min
59
Sec
Built by a Tesla investor — the original Mars-trajectory payload
Sources
Starshiptracker is an independent fan site and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Tesla, Inc. or Space Exploration Technologies Corp. “Tesla” and “Roadster” are trademarks of Tesla, Inc. Roadster Run is an unofficial fan game. Back to the tracker