Get the latest tech news

Watch Sierra Space blow up its LIFE habitat in pressure test

Sierra Space has conducted a pressure test on its LIFE space habitat that ended with a dramatic – though expected – explosion.

The habitat’s pressure shell is made of expandable “softgoods,” or woven fabrics that perform like a rigid structure once inflated, Sierra Space explains on its website. Having the best unit economics positions Sierra Space as the category leader in microgravity research and product development, providing customers with the most attractive return on their investment.” SpaceX posted footage showing the brief test fire from directly above (bottom video), with one of the Starship’s six Raptor engines powering up for about six seconds.

Get the Android app