Sierra Space blew up a prototype inflatable space station module to see how punishing it can be once it's on the Earth.
A segment of Blue Origin's planned Orbital Reef private space station burst in a video as a result of the "ultimate burst pressure test" that took place last month.
Last year, Blue Origin unveiled its plans for a massive and highly ambitious commercial space station, with a start of operations as soon as 2030.
The Orbital Reef is a collaborative effort between the Jeff Bezos-led company and Sierra Space, and is meant to be a replacement for the International Space Station.
The Orbital Reef team received $130 million from NASA last year for their private space station concept.
There are several roomy segments in the early renders. It is designed to house up to ten people and be able to dock at multiple ports.
The inflatable prototype segment is being developed at the Kennedy Space Center. The goal is to one day build a three-story commercial habitation and science platform that will allow humans to live and work in space.
The LIFE segment is made from high tech fabrics that become rigid when pressurized.
The most recent test, which took place months after a first test in July, showed that the segment was able to tolerate pressures of up to 204psi, which is well above the safety requirement of just 182psi.
Shawn Buckley, LIFE chief engineer at Sierra Space, said that the second successful UBP test proves we can demonstrate design, manufacturing and assembly repeatability.
Sierra Space has bigger plans. We can't think of a better name for the Orbital Reef station, which is being supplied by a cargo spaceplane.
Read more about it. A space station module explodes on video.
Blue Origin has unveiled plans for a commercial space station.
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