In July, Hennessey Special Vehicles’ Venom F5, a $3 million supercar, crashed while traveling at nearly 250 mph on the runway at the Kennedy Space Center’s Launch and Landing Facility (LLF). Details of the new report reveal the cost of the accident, which occurred while the company was testing new parts for the car.
The crash damaged the runway surface, according to documents obtained about the crash. ClickOrlando. The damage was apparently minor, and repairs plus subsequent hazardous materials cleanup cost $712.70, paid for by Space Coast Test, the company that manages the runway lease. The LLF has been used as a landing strip for NASA’s space shuttles and serves aerospace purposes, such as transporting United Launch Alliance rocket stages. The cost of renting the LLF is US$2,200 for a four-hour period. ClickOrlando reported. It’s unclear if that’s the same price Hennessy paid.
Following the accident, founder John Hennessey posted on Hennessey’s Instagram account that Hennessey was testing “a new experimental aerodynamic device” at the time , “Loss of downforce on the runway, causing the driver to lose control.” The driver was not injured and the company said it was investigating the cause. The test is part of Hennessey’s preparations for the 300mph test as it chases the record for the fastest production car.
these files ClickOrlando The comments have been heavily edited so there appear to be no photos of the crash. According to the outlet, this was done to protect Hennessy’s trade secrets.
The LLF is managed by Space Florida, Florida’s aerospace economic development agency. Other organizations that have used it include Amazon (Project Kuiper), United Launch Alliance and Lockheed Martin, according to the Florida Space website. But LLF’s flat 3-mile straightaway is also used by car companies like Tesla and Volvo to conduct real-world performance and aerodynamic testing of their vehicles.
Alayna Curry, director of public relations for Space Florida ClickOrlando Such testing “is not new and has been going on for many years, dating back to the space shuttle days under NASA,” and the Florida space agency regularly denies requests to lease the runway.
