Inside one of the world’s largest controlled explosions: The Detonation Research Test Facility

Stretching almost twice the length as Texas A&M University’s Kyle Field  is a colossal steel facility that cuts through the Texas A&M-RELLIS innovation and technology campus — only here, the roar isn’t from crowds, but from controlled explosions and supersonic shockwaves.

The Detonation Research Test Facility (DRTF), the largest academic detonation research site in the world, drives experiments at supersonic speeds to unlock the mysteries of reactive flows, shock behavior and the elusive transition of fast flames to full-on detonations.

In other words, it’s a place where scientists are literally exploding complex physics questions to uncover answers that ripple across combustion science, materials research, aerospace engineering and even astrophysics.

Why build a giant explosions lab? Because the scale and forces studied here shape everything from industrial safety and ultrafast propulsions to the formation of diamonds and the violent explosion of stars.

Leading this ambitious project are two world renowned Texas A&M detonation scientists Dr. Elaine Oran, scientific director, and Dr. Scott Jackson, technical director. Alongside them is a multidisciplinary team from U.S. universities, national laboratories, the Department of War and international partners, all united by a single goal: to measure, understand and harness the raw power of explosions at an unprecedented scale.

"The facility lets us confront one of the most powerful forces in nature: detonation," Oran said. "Insights we capture have universal applications and implications."

Where flames go supersonic and science meets safety

The DRTF propels science into new territories that once only lived in computer simulations or smaller scale labs. Now, those theoretical regimes can be tested and observed at full scale, with real explosions, real shockwaves and real data.

“With state-of-the-art diagnostic systems, we are capturing the internal anatomy of an explosion as it races several times faster than the speed of sound,” Jackson said.

This level of control and visibility has direct consequences for oil, gas and pharmaceutical industries, where flames could suddenly shift into detonation disasters.

The 1989 Philips Petroleum Complex explosion, which burned for nearly 10 hours and resulted in the death of 23 employees and 314 injuries, and the 2023 R.M. Palmer Co. explosion in Pennsylvania, triggered by a gas leak, are stark reminders of how quickly flames can escalate — and why learning to control detonations before they even happen is critical for industrial safety.

“We’re investigating the physics that caused these detonation disasters and identifying ways to stop the transition from a flame to detonation,” Oran said.

One of the first technologies expected to benefit from the team’s findings are detonation arrestors, critical safety devices designed to halt flames in their tracks.

“Detonation arrestors stop high-speed, high-pressure flames from turning into full detonations,” Jackson said. “Our facility can give engineers the data they need to strengthen these systems, protect industrial workers and improve energy infrastructure.”

Ultimately, the safety mission of the DRTF circles back to a single, universal goal: understanding how explosions behave is key in knowing when to suppress them, or on the other hand, to promote them for groundbreaking technological breakthroughs.

Mach 5 in less than 5 seconds

The researchers at the facility are turning their attention to the foundational science behind controlled explosions, the very heartbeat of emerging detonation-based engines.

“Certain high-speed engines rely on controlled explosions to reach Mach speeds,” Oran said. “In our work, detonations can reach Mach 5 speeds — that is, five times faster than the speed of sound — in less than 5 seconds.”

The implications could be a major game-changer. Imagine taking a flight from Los Angeles to New York and rather than sitting on a plane for 6 hours, you would be aboard for just one hour — and half of that would be takeoff and landing.

“Our findings could advance and offer insights into the development of jets and aircraft in space and commercial contexts,” Jackson said.

While the promise of ultra-fast engines is a long-term vision, the DRTF brings that ambition meaningfully closer.

Diamonds and dying stars

Then, there’s the cosmic angle: the same laws of physics that blast down the DRTF’s steel tube govern grandiose cosmic events like the death of stars.

“Shock interactions, turbulence and detonation play key roles in cosmic phenomenon like supernova,” Oran said. “By re-creating analogous conditions in the DRTF, we can uncover fundamental principles on why and how these large-scale cosmic events happen.”

The facility also opens a window into the microscopic side of extreme physics.

In the flash of a detonation, carbon atoms rapidly compress and crystalize, leaving behind a trail of crystals called nanodiamonds, which are roughly 10,000 times smaller than a human hair.

“Understanding how matter behaves under extreme pressures and temperatures can guide the development of superhard materials like nanodiamonds, which have remarkable properties,” Jackson said.

These microscopic gems could spark some of the biggest innovations in quantum science and computing, targeted drug delivery for cancer treatments and next-generation aerospace materials.

“The DRTF gives us a front-row seat to both some of the universe’s largest explosion events like supernova, and the tiniest matter like nanodiamonds,” Jackson said.

A new frontier in detonation science

In an age where speed, energy and safety shape global and research priorities, the DRTF stands as a premier laboratory for studying the raw physics of explosions with unprecedented clarity.

Its scale alone, which stretches at around the same length as two football fields, is staggering: a nearly 500-foot detonation tube measuring over 6 feet in diameter and encased in three-quarter-inch thick steel walls.

“One of the aspects that makes our facility unique, and sets it apart from other research sites, is just the enormous size of it,” Oran said. “It’s one of the largest detonation facilities not only in the U.S., but in the world.”

Lining the massive steel walls are advanced optical and pressure sensors, recording every critical moment — from ignition and the shockwave’s evolution into a full-blown detonation.

Equally as striking is the facility’s 90-meter-long, earth-covered muffler that’s designed to absorb a detonation and diffuse it through a cavernous steel chamber. It transforms what could be an ear-deafening and window-shattering sound blast into the same experience as a rock concert.

“Typical sound signatures of explosions read at around 220 decibels. With our muffler design, however, we can reduce the sound to about 120 decibels to help limit noise to the area and the ecosystem,” Jackson said.

This combination of size, instrumentation and expertise creates a laboratory unlike any other — a hub of scientific and technological innovation.

A hub of innovation

While the facility’s safety and commissioning phase wrapped in 2025, and early tests are already underway, the facility’s grand opening is set for April 2026.

"It takes a shared vision, strong commitment and bold partnership to build, innovate and lead together," Jackson said.

The opening of the facility stands as a testament to Texas A&M’s relentless commitment to nurturing the next generation of engineers and scientists.

“The facility is entirely run by students,” Oran said. “We’re giving them the platform to be creative, all the while developing them into the next generation of investigators.”

At its core, the DRTF’s mission is clear: to uncover groundbreaking scientific ideas and pave the way for revolutionary capabilities.

“It’s curiosity that drives us, a desire to uncover the physical rules behind the explosions that power engines, protect lives and form the universe itself,” Oran said.