“Even though carbon fiber has [an] incredible strength-to-weight [ratio], when you want one of them put super-cold liquid oxygen and liquid methane — particularly liquid oxygen — in the tank, it’s subject to cracking and leaking and it’s a very difficult thing to make,” Musk explains. He adds that the sheer scale of it is also challenging.
However, despite potential obstacles, he did note that “early tests are promising” and that “initial tests with the cryogenic propellant … actually look quite positive.”
“We have not seen any leaks or major issues,” he added.
To learn more about the role of composites in SpaceX’s Interplanetary Transport System, click here.
