In case you missed it, SpaceX (Elon Musk’s extra-curricular after-school space program) successfully put a first-generation Tesla Roadster into space last February, proving it’s new Falcon Heavy rocket had what it took to deliver its payload into the great beyond. Impressive stuff, no doubt about it. But, as you might expect, SpaceX hit a few bumps on the road to the successful launch of the Falcon Heavy, and the the results of those bumps are spectacular, to say the least.

One of the most impressive things about the SpaceX program is its reusable rocket system, which includes self-landing boosters that actually manage to find themselves back on terra firma in an upright position. Making such a feat possible was a series of incidents SpaceX has classified as “rapid unscheduled disassembly” events, several of which are highlighted in the above two-minute video.

Of course, it bears mentioning that the Falcon Heavy still needs some work. You see, the core rocket had a bit of an incident after its trip into space, missing the recovery drone ship by about 300 feet and making contact with the Atlantic Ocean at about 300 mph, subsequently “ the deck with shrapnel,” according to Musk.

But hey, no one ever said rocket science was easy, and until the systems are perfected, we can expect entertaining videos like these showcasing the accumulation of some very expensive piles of smoldering rubble.

References

Tesla Roadster

Read our full review on the 2008 Tesla Roadster.

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