Hennessey Special Vehicles crashed its $3 million Venom F5 hypercar while driving at nearly 250 mph on the Kennedy Space Center launch and landing strip in July. Newly reported details show the toll of the accident, which occurred while the company was testing new components for the car.
The accident damaged the track surface, according to documents related to the accident. acquired by Click on OrlandoThe damage was apparently minimal and the repair, plus subsequent cleanup of hazardous materials, cost $712.70, which was billed to Space Coast Testing, the company that manages the runway rentals. The rental of the LLF, which was once used as a landing strip for NASA's space shuttle and It serves for aerospace purposes Like shipping the United Launch Alliance rocket stages, it can cost $2,200 for a four-hour leg. Click on Orlando reported. It's unclear whether that's the same fee Hennessey paid.
Hennessey was testing “an experimental new aerodynamic configuration” when it “lost downforce on track, causing the driver to lose control,” founder John Hennessey said. instagram.com/p/C9C_9adsMdL/?ig_rid=20af1f11-1afa-422b-939a-0786ddfb4e16″>posted on Hennessey's instagram account after the crash. The driver was uninjured and the company said it is investigating the cause. The test was part of Hennessey's preparation for a Trying to exceed 300 mph in the car as it chases the record for the fastest production car.
The documents that Click on Orlando The reviewed documents were heavily redacted, so there do not appear to be any photographs available of the accident. According to the outlet, this was done to protect Hennessey's trade secrets.
The LLF is managed by Space Florida, the state's aerospace economic development agency. According to Space Florida websiteOther organizations that have used it include amazon (for Project Kuiper), United Launch Alliance, and Lockheed Martin. But the LLF’s flat, 3-mile stretch is also used by automotive companies, including Tesla and Volvo, to conduct real-world performance and aerodynamics testing of their cars.
Alayna Curry, public relations director for Space Florida, said Click on Orlando that such tests “are not new and have been carried out for many years, dating back to the Space Shuttle era under NASA management,” and that Space Florida regularly rejects requests to rent the runway.
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