After a 9-Year Delay, Is It Finally Taking Off? Tesla Partners with SpaceX to Launch "Cold Gas Thruster" Roadster as Early as This Month

Tesla's new Roadster, delayed for nearly nine years, may finally be unveiled. This electric sports car, integrating cold gas thrusters with space technology, is seen as a hallmark of the accelerating convergence of Tesla and SpaceX's business empires, and could also serve as a key bet by Elon Musk to rekindle market enthusiasm for Tesla.

On August 14, citing three sources familiar with the matter, The Information reported that Tesla plans to launch the new Roadster as early as this month, with the event likely to be held at SpaceX's test facility in McGregor, Texas. The highlight of this launch is the limited-edition model, jointly developed by Tesla and SpaceX and equipped with cold gas thrusters, which may perform flight demonstrations.

Due to the extreme noise and vibration generated by the cold gas thrusters during operation, spectators will be required to maintain a distance of several hundred yards from the vehicle. Meanwhile, the vehicle will not be directly controlled by a driver but will complete its demonstration via unmanned, remote-controlled operations.

Boosted by this news, Tesla's U.S. shares rose nearly 2% in pre-market trading. This launch comes at a time when the company's stock price is under pressure—having fallen approximately 25% year-to-date, while the Nasdaq Composite Index rose 15% over the same period. Whether the new Roadster can emotionally reignite the passion of core fans and signal to the outside world that Tesla remains committed to its core automotive business will be the focus of market attention.

With Cold Gas Thrusters, How High Can the Roadster Fly?

According to reports citing insiders, Tesla's demonstration plan for the Roadster was quite ambitious a few months ago.

At the time, the company planned to drive the vehicle up a magnetized roller-coaster-style ramp, complete an inverted maneuver, self-right, and then hover in the air. However, after an internal rehearsal for Musk, Tesla postponed and scaled back certain aspects of the plan.

Musk himself admitted to some employees in recent weeks that the related demonstration is extremely difficult, stating it "might go wrong, but it will be spectacular regardless."

It remains unclear whether Tesla will present the event via live stream or recorded broadcast. Tesla and SpaceX began closely collaborating on the development of the Roadster's cold gas propulsion system in 2024, with participants including Bill Riley, Vice President of Starship Engineering at SpaceX.

However, the resource investment in this project within SpaceX is not significant. Citing a source familiar with the matter, the report stated that the Roadster project is currently being advanced by only a few SpaceX engineers alongside their regular duties.

From Lamborghini to the "Blackbird": Multiple Design Overhauls

The years-long delay of the Roadster stems from repeated adjustments to product positioning and technical pathways.

Since the prototype's debut in 2017, the new Roadster has undergone several rounds of design reconstruction. In 2022, Tesla internally pursued two proposals simultaneously: one group planned to build it based on the Model S Plaid platform, while the other advocated starting completely from scratch to create a new supercar with an ultra-lightweight carbon fiber body.

Ultimately, Musk chose the latter and demanded that the team "get it right or don't do it at all," meaning the Roadster would no longer use the chassis of existing models.

To advance this proposal, Tesla recruited several engineers from Italian luxury automakers, including Stefan Nothdurfter, the former engineering head at Lamborghini.

The exterior design also underwent multiple rounds of exploration. The team drew inspiration successively from the Lamborghini Countach and the Lockheed SR-71 "Blackbird" reconnaissance aircraft, with the latter even becoming the source of the project's internal codename "A-71."

Citing insiders, the report stated that the final confirmed mass-production design is relatively conservative, incorporating some design elements from the Countach. The standard and limited editions have similar appearances, both featuring butterfly doors and a two-seat layout, with relevant work prototypes completed by the end of last year.

Not a Volume Seller, But Potentially Very "Valuable"

In terms of commercial contribution, the Roadster is unlikely to become a revenue pillar for Tesla.

The limited-edition models used for this demonstration are not even street-legal, with estimated prices potentially reaching hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars, targeting an extremely niche market. The standard version is also expected to carry a high price tag, whereas the first-generation Roadster was priced at around $100,000.

According to insiders cited by the report, Tesla even discussed allowing some die-hard fans to purchase demonstration models branded with the SpaceX logo, similar to Ferrari's XX Programme.

Therefore, the true value of the Roadster may lie not in sales volume, but in the "story."

It could become a tangible symbol of the further integration of Tesla and SpaceX's businesses. Last month, during Tesla's earnings call, Musk remained ambiguous when pressed by Wall Street analysts about a potential merger of the two companies, stating only that such matters require "appropriate procedures."

Meanwhile, the two companies are collaborating on the Terafab chip manufacturing facility, a project that also involves Intel. As the boundaries of AI, chips, and robotics businesses continue to intertwine, the Roadster may also become the most visually impactful product carrier of this strategic integration.

Paid in 2017, Still Haven't Received the Car

For reservation holders who paid deposits as early as 2017, the wait has lasted nearly nine years.

At that time, the deposit for the standard Roadster was $50,000, while the deposit for the limited "Founders Series" was as high as $250,000. Since then, Tesla has delayed the delivery schedule at least eight times.

The long wait has begun to erode the patience of some reservation holders. Well-known reservists such as YouTuber Marques Brownlee and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman have previously publicly announced the cancellation of their orders. Rick Bhowmick, an employee at a New York investment firm, reserved a Roadster in 2021. He admitted that he has begun to doubt the economic feasibility of the project.

"My hope is that either this really happens and I get the car of my dreams, or they cancel the project and refund everyone's money."

As of now, Tesla has not announced a clear delivery timeline for the mass-production version of the Roadster.

For this model, in which Musk has placed his ambition to "redefine the sports car," the real test may not be whether it can fly, but whether it can ultimately be delivered into the hands of consumers.