Tesla’s flying Roadster does exactly what Elon Musk said it would in a post 8 years ago
A promise about flight
Musk made the 2019 claim after a user shared a GIF of the DeLorean hovering in “Back to the Future.” He wrote that the new Roadster would do something similar, prompting tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee to say he felt Musk was not joking. Musk replied that he was serious. He described a SpaceX cold-gas thruster system using high-pressure air in a composite pressure vessel, placed where the two rear seats would otherwise be. He later restated the system’s basic design.
Thrusters were discussed earlier
Musk had mentioned thrusters before the 2019 exchange. In June 2018, he said the Roadster would have roughly 10 and suggested they could let the car fly. When another user proposed compressed-air cold-gas thrusters, Musk said the configuration made sense. He also described using an electric pump to replenish air in the composite pressure vessel when the car’s power draw fell below the battery pack’s maximum output.
Production remains delayed
Tesla unveiled plans for the second-generation Roadster in 2017 and initially aimed to begin production in 2020. After repeated delays, Musk said production would start in 2028. The article describes Musk’s account of the technology as more consistent than his production timetable. It also notes that some of his ambitious plans have eventually been carried out.
A SpaceX example
Nearly four years later, the tower’s mechanical “chopsticks” caught a booster for the first time. The example reflects the article’s broader point: Musk has sometimes announced unusual plans well before they were ready.
Key points
- Musk said the Roadster would use SpaceX cold-gas thrusters and high-pressure air.
- He had suggested in 2018 that roughly 10 thrusters might let the car fly.
- Tesla first targeted Roadster production for 2020; Musk now says it will begin in 2028.
- SpaceX’s launch tower caught a Super Heavy booster nearly four years after Musk proposed the idea.