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Tesla takes $250,000 deposits for Roadster with SpaceX thrusters, but FAA says it's not an aircraft

fortune.com — October 17, 2026 at 11:01 AM UTC

Tesla demonstrated a redesigned Roadster with SpaceX thrusters that can briefly fly, but production is delayed until 2028 and its promised range has been cut by more than half. The company is taking deposits up to $250,000 for the vehicle. The livestreamed event at SpaceX's Texas facility showed the car flipping midair and leaping over other Tesla vehicles using compressed air thrusters. Tesla now offers three versions, including a flying "Rocket" model not approved for public roads, and the FAA says the vehicle does not meet its definition of an aircraft. The Roadster is seen as a "halo car" showcasing technology rather than a major revenue source, and Musk says it will be the last manually driven Tesla. The demonstration used autonomous operation with a mannequin in a spacesuit.

With a significance score of 3.5, this news ranks in the top 7.6% of today's 29613 analyzed articles.

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[4.1]

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[4.0]

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[4.0]

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[3.9]

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[3.9]

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[3.8]

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[3.8]

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[3.7]

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[3.7]

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[3.7]

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[3.6]

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[3.6]

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[3.6]

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[3.6]

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[3.6]

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[3.6]

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[3.5]

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[3.5]

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[3.5]

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[3.4]

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[3.4]

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[3.3]

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[3.3]

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[3.3]

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[3.3]

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[3.2]

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[3.2]

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[3.2]

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[3.2]

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[3.2]

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[3.2]

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[3.2]

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[3.1]

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[3.1]

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[3.0]

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[3.0]

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[2.9]

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[2.9]

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[2.9]

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[2.8]

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[2.8]

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[2.7]

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[2.7]

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[2.7]

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[2.6]

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[2.6]

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[2.5]

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[2.4]

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[2.4]

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[2.4]

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[2.4]

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[2.4]

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[2.3]

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[2.3]

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[2.2]

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[2.2]

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[2.1]

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[2.1]

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[2.0]

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[1.9]

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[1.8]

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[1.8]

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