Tesla Flying Roadster Test Explained: Timeline, Global Reaction & What's Next
Photo by Tesla Fans Schweiz on Unsplash Updated October 16, 2026. On the night of October 15, 2026, Tesla did something no carmaker has ever done on a livestream: it launched a car into the air, flipped it, and set it back down on its wheels. The event took place at SpaceX's rocket test site in McGregor, Texas, and the star was the long-delayed second-generation Tesla Roadster, now fitted with cold-gas thrusters borrowed from Elon Musk's rocket company. Within hours, clips had been viewed tens of millions of times, Tesla stock was bouncing in premarket trading, and critics were asking whether a car that hops for a few seconds can honestly be called a "flying car." This guide walks through everything: what actually happened at the test, how the project began in 2017, why it took almost nine years, how the world reacted, what it means for Tesla investors, and what to realistically expect f...