Musk demonstrates Tesla Roadster performing airborne maneuvers in Texas

Elon Musk demonstrated Tesla’s new Roadster performing airborne maneuvers at a SpaceX test facility in Texas, according to The Times of India. The outlet’s account describes a video showing the car climbing a ramp, jumping with blue thrusters, flipping in the air and landing amid smoke. Meta AI head Alexandr Wang then raised a question about the demonstration’s driver in a post on X. The Times of India reports that the car used suction underneath to ascend a steep ramp and remain upside down before spinning off it. Musk said air jets helped the vehicle land. The video showed nighttime maneuvers, including vertical ramp ascents and jumps, followed by smoky landings. Tesla said the Roadster can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in less than a second. The Times of India says the vehicle uses 10 nozzles and “ultra high-pressure air tanks,” a phrase attributed to Musk, to move in the air and accelerate on the ground. The account does not provide a separate measurement of the car’s performance during the demonstration. Wang, identified by The Times of India as the head of Meta AI, replied on X: “wait who the hell was driving the tesla.” His post drew attention to who operated the vehicle during the maneuvers; the outlet’s account does not identify a driver. Musk also posted on X that his original Roadster was still orbiting Mars and Earth. The Times of India says he was replying to a Tesla post that placed a 2018 image of the original Roadster aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy alongside an image of a newer Roadster fitted with SpaceX cold-gas thrusters. Tesla’s post described the contrast as “From Roadster in a rocket. To rocket in a Roadster.”

Speaking during the demonstration, Musk said the Roadster would enter production in 2028. That production timing is his stated plan; the account does not report that production has begun. The demonstration, the company’s performance claim and Musk’s production statement together outline what Tesla presented about the vehicle, while Wang’s question focused on who was driving it.