Watch: SpaceX’s Starship Test Ends Up In A Massive, Cloudy Explosion
Video screenshot via NASA Spaceflight
SpaceX’s new Starship trial tank intentionally erupted last night during a pressure test set to fail at the company’s experiment site in Boca Chica, Texas.
The tank, known as SN7.1, is a follow-up version of its predecessor SN7. It was previously tested on the steel alloy construction of the spacecraft’s cryogenic fuel tanks.
In the latest experiment, the SN7.1 was tested with a new steel alloy by pressurizing it until it failed, resulting in a massive explosion with clouds of white fumes in the air.
“Witness!” Chris Gebhardt, NASA SpaceFlight managing editor wrote in a tweet as a reference to the 2015 film Mad Max: Fury Road. “Test Tank SN7.1 has entered the gates of Valhalla!”
The private space agency has been taking gradual steps in its endeavor to transport everyday humans to the Moon, and even Mars.
The next trial will feature the SN8, which will be more of a prototype spacecraft. It will try to shoot up to a height of 12 miles in the skies, and even perform a little trick before it slowly falls to the ground.
In the meantime, watch the blowup at the 6:28:53 mark below.
[via Futurism, cover image via NASA Spaceflight]
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