SpaceX thrusters just made a Tesla Roadster 'fly' (and Elon Musk's car is still out there in space)

Well, that was a memorable debut.

Tesla unveiled its highly anticipated new Roadster last night (Oct.

16) with a spectacular stunt, using SpaceX thrusters to make the vehicle "fly." "This is not necessarily a safety-optimized car, OK?" Elon Musk , who runs both companies, said during the livestreamed reveal, which was held at SpaceX's rocket-testing facility in McGregor, Texas.

"But it takes the the fun meter to 11 out of 10." Tesla first announced the next-gen Roadster in 2017, saying at the time that it would be released in 2020 .

In 2018, Musk announced that the new car would incorporate some SpaceX tech.

"SpaceX option package for new Tesla Roadster will include ~10 small rocket thrusters arranged seamlessly around car.

These rocket engines dramatically improve acceleration, top speed, braking & cornering.

Maybe they will even allow a Tesla to fly…" he wrote on Twitter in June of that year . (In 2022, Musk bought Twitter , which he subsequently renamed X.) So last night's demonstration didn't come entirely out of left field — but it was still eye-popping.

The show began with the Roadster driving up a ramp that quickly became a vertical wall and then an overhanging ledge.

The Roadster clung to the surface, hanging upside-down from the ledge like a gecko on a ceiling thanks to a special fan suction system on its chassis.

"I mean, this car really sucks, OK?" Musk said, channeling his inner stand-up comedian.

"This car could suck the chrome off a trailer hitch.

It could suck a tennis ball through a hose pipe." The suction feature is not just a novelty, he added: It will help the Roadster stay connected to the ground during high-speed turns, allowing drivers to corner incredibly well.

The next-gen Roadster comes in for a thruster-aided landing during its unveiling event. (Image credit: Tesla) And the sucking was just an opening act.