--- title: "SpaceX Blows Up Another Starship Tank, This Time on Purpose" description: "SpaceX just put a tank serving as its seventh Starship prototype called SN7 through its spaces at its testing site in Boca Chica, Texas." date: "2020-06-24" modified: "2020-06-24" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-blows-up-starship-tank" categories: - "Space" - "SpaceX" - "Starship" tags: - "elon musk" - "SpaceX" - "Starship" - "the digest" --- # SpaceX Blows Up Another Starship Tank, This Time on Purpose ![SpaceX just put a tank serving as its seventh Starship prototype called SN7 through its spaces at its testing site in Boca Chica, Texas.]() *\Image: BocaChicaGal/NASASpaceFlight\* ## Nitrogen Clouds Yesterday, SpaceX conducted a test on its seventh Starship prototype — essentially a large tank the company dubbed SN7 — at its testing site in Boca Chica, Texas. The test resulted in a massive explosion of cloudy nitrogen gas — but that was more or less the point of the exercise. https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1275468471728590850 ## Tested to Destruction Unlike the SN4 prototype that was completely obliterated in a [massive fireball]() last month, this explosion was an intentional bid by SpaceX to probe the limits of the prototype using super-chilled liquid nitrogen, as [*Space.com* reports](). When [asked]() if this tank will be "tested to destruction" on Twitter earlier this month, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk [responded]() with a chilled-out "yes." A test of the SN7 Starship tank last week didn't result in an explosion, something that Musk called a ["good result"]() on June 15. "We’re developing our own \[stainless steel\] alloy to take this even further," he added. "Leak before burst is highly desirable." ## Great Ambitions SpaceX has ambitious plans for its [Starship spacecraft](). If everything goes according to plan, the gigantic vehicle will be able to ferry up to 100 passengers at a time to the Moon and Mars. SpaceX is also planning to use the same spacecraft to provide "hyerpsonic travel around Earth," according to [another tweet]() by Musk from last week. The company is already looking to [fill job positions]() to build offshore floating spaceports to launch the completed Starship. **READ MORE:** [Boom! SpaceX pops huge Starship SN7 test tank on purpose in pressure test (videos)]() **More on Starship:***[Elon Musk: SpaceX Building Floating Spaceports for Moon, Mars Launches]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()