This Company Exploded Its Expandable Space Station Structure On Purpose

Sierra Space’s expandable space station module technology is highly scalable

Sierra Space intentionally destroyed its first full-scale prototype of a space station module as part of preparations for upcoming space missions expected as early as 2030, the company revealed on Monday.

Sierra Space has conducted a series of explosive tests at NASA’s Marshall Space Center in Alabama, propelling space equipment into the sky. However, it’s worth noting that all previous testing involved scale models.

The company also posted the video on X along with the caption, “The full-scale UBP test unit reached 77 psi before it burst, which well exceeds (+27%) #NASA’s recommended level of 60.8 psi (maximum operating pressure of 15.2 psi multiplied by a safety factor of four).”

Watch the video here:

The full-scale UBP test unit reached 77 psi before it burst, which well exceeds (+27%) #NASA‘s recommended level of 60.8 psi (maximum operating pressure of 15.2 psi multiplied by a safety factor of four).

Full video: https://t.co/5XumopCb0H@NASA_Marshallpic.twitter.com/WO4YyPUA05

— Sierra Space (@SierraSpaceCo) January 22, 2024

The inflatable module design of the company, incorporating soft goods technology from ILC Dover, including Vectran straps, will be deployed on the Orbital Reef space station led by Sierra Space and Blue Origin. This represents one of the various concepts funded by NASA to succeed the International Space Station (ISS) once the longstanding orbiting facility is retired around 2030, Space.com reported. 

Sierra Space said that the dimensions of its modules are almost equivalent  to “an average family home.”Sierra Space officials work in cubic feet because microgravity allows for all parts of the space inside a room to be used. If you’d like to do the math yourself: the module is three stories (20.5 feet, or 6.2 meters) tall, with a diameter of 27 feet, or 8.3 meters, the company said. 

Sierra Space’s expandable space station module technology is highly scalable and flexible to all existing and planned launch vehicle fairing sizes.