{"id":28395327,"date":"2026-10-17T09:46:17","date_gmt":"2026-10-17T07:46:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/tesla-flying-roadster-spacex-thrusters-unveiled-mcgregor-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-10-17T09:46:41","modified_gmt":"2026-10-17T07:46:41","slug":"tesla-flying-roadster-spacex-thrusters-unveiled-mcgregor-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/de\/tesla-flying-roadster-spacex-thrusters-unveiled-mcgregor-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Tesla&#8217;s Flying Roadster: SpaceX Thrusters, a Flip and an FAA Puzzle"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\r\n\r\n\r\n<!-- mfsh:top -->\r\n\r\n<style>\r\n.mfsh-trigger{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;height:44px;padding:0 18px;margin:0 0 26px;border:2px solid 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Then it ran off the end into thin air, fired its thrusters, flipped itself upright and settled onto its wheels.<\/p>\r\n<p>That was the opening act on 15 October at SpaceX's test site in McGregor, Texas, where Elon Musk unveiled Tesla's long-delayed second-generation Roadster and called it a flying car. Engineering-wise it is a spectacle. Aviation-wise, it raises a question nobody on stage answered: who, exactly, is going to let you fly it?<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f4f6f9;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:18px 22px;margin:22px 0 26px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:700;color:#0d1117\">Quick Facts<\/p><ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:18px\"><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>What:<\/strong> Tesla Roadster (second generation) with SpaceX-developed cold-gas thrusters<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Unveiled:<\/strong> 15 October 2026, SpaceX test site, McGregor, Texas<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Thrust:<\/strong> More than 80 kN from the rear thrusters, according to Tesla<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Propellant:<\/strong> Compressed air, up to 600 litres or 250 kg, according to Tesla<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Claimed performance:<\/strong> 0 to 60 mph in under one second, top speed above 230 mph<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Production:<\/strong> Planned for 2028<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Demo:<\/strong> Flown autonomously, with no one on board<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Thrusters, not wings<\/h2>\r\n<p>There are no wings, rotors or fans for lift. Tesla vehicle engineering chief Lars Moravy said the rear thrusters blast compressed gas faster than the speed of sound and produce more than 80 kilonewtons of thrust. For scale, that is in the same bracket as the roughly 79 kN that a General Electric F404-GE-402, the engine of later <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/fa-18-hornet\/\">F\/A-18 Hornets<\/a> including Switzerland's, makes in full afterburner. The difference is that the Roadster can only keep it up for as long as its air lasts.<\/p>\r\n<p>Musk described the propellant as a rechargeable, ultra-high-pressure air tank that needs no special fuel. Moravy said the car carries up to 600 litres, or 250 kilograms, of compressed air, fed through ten nozzles, and Tesla says every usable void in the car is packed with carbon-fibre-overwrapped pressure vessels of the kind SpaceX uses on its rockets. An underside fan system, rated by Moravy at up to two g of suction, is what let the car cling to the inverted ramp.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"max-width:550px;margin:0 auto 28px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?id=2110913438293647789&theme=light\" style=\"width:100%;height:520px;border:none;overflow:hidden\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p>For the second trick, which designer Franz von Holzhausen called a kickflip, the Roadster accelerated towards a row of other Tesla vehicles, lit its underbelly thrusters and rolled over them before landing. Musk said a future demonstration might attempt Evel Knievel's Snake River Canyon jump.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/tesla-roadster-kickflip-mcgregor-2026-1-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"The new Tesla Roadster inverted in the air above a line of Tesla vehicles at McGregor, Texas, with thruster plumes visible\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">The kickflip: the Roadster rolls inverted over a line of Tesla vehicles at SpaceX's McGregor test site on 15 October. Image: Tesla via X<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;This is the culmination of incredible work by Tesla and SpaceX engineers working closely together to make something that you haven't seen in any movie.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Elon Musk<\/strong> &mdash; CEO of Tesla, at the Roadster unveiling, 15 October 2026<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">A Blackbird on the design board<\/h2>\r\n<p>Tesla leaned hard into aviation for the styling too. The company said the new Roadster's design was inspired by the Lockheed <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/sr-71-blackbird\/\">SR-71 Blackbird<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/f-35-lightning-ii\/\">F-35 Lightning II<\/a>. Von Holzhausen said the car uses full steer-by-wire with a yoke, and Musk said the rear wing changes pitch automatically to manage downforce.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"max-width:550px;margin:0 auto 28px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?id=2110903770838384773&theme=light\" style=\"width:100%;height:520px;border:none;overflow:hidden\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p>Musk was frank about the rest. He told the audience that success was not guaranteed, that the demonstration car was flown autonomously to make sure nobody got killed, and that the Roadster is not necessarily a safety-optimised car. He also said he was not sure it would be legal in all jurisdictions. Tesla's own website says the flying version is not approved for public roads.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Where the FAA comes in<\/h2>\r\n<p>Anything that flies with a person on board falls into the Federal Aviation Administration's world. As FLYING magazine pointed out, Tesla would need to show the car meets federal motor vehicle safety standards and obtain FAA authorisation, and owners would probably need some form of pilot certification. State law matters as well; FLYING notes that Minnesota and New Hampshire have passed laws treating roadable aircraft as motor vehicles, while other states have been slower.<\/p>\r\n<p>The FAA did create a new category of aircraft recently, powered-lift, in 2024, the first new category since helicopters. But that rulebook was written for eVTOL air taxis such as those from Joby and Archer, which take off from vertiports, not for a sports car that hops off a public road on compressed air. Tesla has said production will start in 2028. Whether the thrusters will ever be lit outside a test site is a question for regulators, not engineers.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><em>Sources: Tesla (live event and posts on X, 15 to 16 October 2026), FLYING Magazine, CBS News\/AFP, USA Today<\/em><\/p>\r\n<!-- mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger mfsh-bottom\" data-mfsh-placement=\"bottom\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button>\r\n\r\n<!-- \/mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n\r\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\r\n\r\n\r\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>Can the new Tesla Roadster actually fly?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The Tesla Roadster unveiled on 15 October 2026 can make short hops and rolls using SpaceX-developed cold-gas thrusters powered by compressed air. It has no wings or rotors, so it cannot fly like an aircraft. At the demonstration in McGregor, Texas, it was flown autonomously with no one on board.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How much thrust do the Tesla Roadster thrusters produce?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Tesla vehicle engineering chief Lars Moravy said the rear thrusters produce more than 80 kilonewtons of thrust by releasing compressed gas faster than the speed of sound. The car stores up to 600 litres, or 250 kilograms, of compressed air, according to Tesla.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Is the flying Tesla Roadster legal to fly?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Not yet. Tesla's website says the flying version is not approved for public roads, and Elon Musk said he was not sure it would be legal in all jurisdictions. Flying it would likely need FAA authorisation, motor vehicle safety approval and some form of pilot certification.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>When will the Tesla Roadster go into production?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Elon Musk said at the 15 October 2026 unveiling that the second-generation Tesla Roadster will go into production in 2028. Tesla first showed a Roadster prototype in 2017 and originally promised deliveries from 2020.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Which aircraft inspired the design of the new Tesla Roadster?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Tesla said the design of the new Roadster was inspired by the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird reconnaissance aircraft and the F-35 Lightning II fighter. It also uses a steer-by-wire yoke and a rear wing that changes pitch automatically.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What is the FAA powered-lift category?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Powered-lift is an aircraft category the FAA established in 2024, the first new category since helicopters. It covers aircraft such as eVTOL air taxis that take off vertically and transition to wing-borne flight. It was not written with thruster-equipped road cars in mind.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Can the new Tesla Roadster actually fly?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The Tesla Roadster unveiled on 15 October 2026 can make short hops and rolls using SpaceX-developed cold-gas thrusters powered by compressed air. It has no wings or rotors, so it cannot fly like an aircraft. 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It was not written with thruster-equipped road cars in mind.\"}}]}<\/script><div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/the-flying-car-just-took-its-biggest-step-yet\/\">The Flying Car Just Took Its Biggest Step Yet<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/taylor-aerocar-molt-taylor-flying-car\/\">The Flying Car That Actually Flew<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/convair-model-118-convaircar-wrong-fuel-gauge-1947\/\">ConvAirCar: The Flying Car Killed by the Wrong Fuel Gauge<\/a><\/p><\/div>\r\n\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Share this story The car drove up a ramp that curled over until it was hanging upside down, stuck to the concrete by its own suction. Then it ran off the end into thin air, fired its thrusters, flipped itself upright and settled onto its wheels. That was the opening act on 15 October at [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":28395308,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[665,670],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28395327","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aviation-world","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Tesla Flying Roadster: SpaceX Thrusters and the FAA | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Tesla&#039;s flying Roadster uses SpaceX cold-gas thrusters with more than 80 kN of thrust. 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