Tesla has postponed its planned Roadster demonstration in Texas after forecasts called for thunderstorms, heavy rain and strong wind gusts in the Waco/McGregor area. The outdoor event, originally scheduled for October 1, is now expected to take place on October 15.

An email sent to attendees said the experience must be held outdoors, making the forecasted conditions incompatible with the planned presentation. Tesla indicated that it remains interested in hosting the event but would need to move it by two weeks.

A reported thruster demonstration

Tesla has not publicly detailed the full program for the event. However, previous reports have suggested that its central feature could be a demonstration of the second-generation Roadster’s SpaceX-developed cold-gas thruster system.

The reported plan involves remotely hovering the car without anyone inside. That possibility may explain why the demonstration cannot simply be moved indoors, since equipment capable of lifting and potentially maneuvering an electric vehicle would require significant space.

An airspace restriction around SpaceX’s McGregor test facility also provides context for the revised schedule. The Federal Aviation Administration notice closes the airspace from the surface to 10,000 feet and cites “high energy testing operations,” although it does not specifically identify Tesla or the Roadster.

The restriction is scheduled to end on October 2, one day after the original event date. Moving the demonstration by only a day therefore would not have provided much additional time within the stated airspace window, while the two-week delay creates a larger gap.

Roadster reservations reopen

The postponement adds another delay to a vehicle that Tesla first introduced nearly nine years ago. The company is nevertheless accepting $50,000 reservations for the Roadster again, according to the source material.

Whether the October 15 event proceeds as planned remains dependent on the conditions surrounding the outdoor demonstration and the reported testing activity at McGregor.