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- Tesla has pushed its Roadster reveal in McGregor, Texas, back to October 15.
- Limited-edition variant could feature SpaceX cold-gas rocket boosters.
- The rocket-equipped hypercar is not expected to be legal for street driving.
- Tesla has patented a deployable active wing for high-speed downforce.
- Chinese rival Dreame recently cancelled its competing rocket-powered supercar project.
Nearly a decade of waitlists and hype later, Tesla will finally unveil the production version of its second-generation Roadster on October 15 2026. It’s an outdoor demonstration at the SpaceX test facility in McGregor, Texas, where the supercar is set to showcase a hardware addition that replaces traditional expectations for electric performance: actual SpaceX rocket boosters.
Look, even saying this out loud sounds absolutely ridiculous to any rational human. But all signs point to an upcoming reveal highlighting a limited-edition Roadster variant equipped with a cold-gas thruster package developed in collaboration with SpaceX. Because the high-pressure hardware would generate enough force and acoustic noise to cause hearing damage, The Information reports that Tesla plans to operate the vehicle remotely during the live demonstration. Spectators will be kept at a safe distance from the test site to avoid the force of the rockets.
If you want to secure a spot for the vehicle today, Tesla’s homepage outlines a steep AUD$66,000 fully refundable reservation process that requires an initial AUD$7,000 credit card payment, followed by a $59,000 bank transfer due within 10 days.
While the standard Roadster (which required a USD$250,000 Founder’s Series deposit to purchase) will enter the market to compete with elite electric hypercars like the Rimac Nevera, the rocket-assisted variant will sit in a category of its own. It’s unclear (and unlikely) whether we’ll even see a road-legal variant of the SpaceX Tesla Roadster, and it would surely carry a price tag deep into the millions if it were ever brought to life.
The limited-edition model clearly leans quite heavily into the engineering synergy between Elon Musk’s two companies. Reportedly code-named “A71,” it’s been reported that the cold-gas thruster package will replace the rear seating area with high-pressure air tanks that feed thrust through nozzles hidden within the bodywork.
Unless the brand has circumvented regulatory approvals, the storing of compressed air or nitrogen in ultra-high-pressure tanks (often cited as around 10,000 psi) won’t be legal for road use. The Department of Transportation (DOT) strictly regulates high-pressure cylinders in vehicles to prevent them from detonating in a crash, traditionally capping approved road-legal tanks at much lower pressures (around 3,000 psi).
Given the extreme force produced by the rockets and the pressure required from the tanks, all reports suggest this specific version is built purely for closed-course performance rather than standard highway driving.
If they were to release this rocket-powered Tesla Roadster, it would be the only one in existence. Chinese vacuum cleaner manufacturer Dreame recently made headlines by promising a rocket-boosted EV called the Nebula Next 01 Jet Edition. The brand claimed its dual solid-fuel boosters would hit 100 km/h in 0.9 seconds. However, Dreame officially cancelled its automotive project and laid off its staff after former employees revealed the concept car shown at CES was actually a remote-controlled scale model without a real chassis. Does the same fate await the Roadster? We’ll wait and see.
Rockets draw the most attention and help raise the share price on release day, but a recent filing with the United States Patent and Trademark Office also confirms Tesla is focused on keeping the car on the ground for the road-legal variant.
The patent details a complex active aerodynamic rear wing that sits flush with the bodywork. When deployed, it extends outward to generate additional downforce. To put the potential of this aero package into perspective, we can look at the new McLaren W1. The British hypercar uses an “Active Long Tail” wing that physically extends 300 millimetres rearward to stretch the car’s aerodynamic footprint. The Tesla patent claims its rear wing alone is capable of generating 700 kilograms of downforce, while the W1’s rear wing tops out at 650 kilograms (contributing to 1,000 kilograms of total downforce when combined with its ground-effect underbody). Both Roadster and the W1 systems utilise pivoting Formula 1-style Drag Reduction System (DRS) functionality to improve straight-line speed.
Customers waiting to see the final product will need a little more patience. Tesla originally scheduled the reveal event at the Texas test site for October 1. But the brand recently pushed the demonstration back to October 15, citing poor weather forecasts. Because the noise and physical force of the SpaceX rocket boosters require an outdoor hover demonstration, the event cannot simply be moved indoors to a tent. The final reveal remains entirely dependent on clear skies, so let’s see what happens in two weeks!
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