One Direction become NASA spacemen in the video for their new single “Drag Me Down” — their first release since Zayn Malik left the band.
And pulling out all the stops for their debut as a sexy foursome, the 1D boys took over NASA’s Space Center in Houston, Texas, for the stunning video, released early on Friday, Aug. 21.
In the film clip, the four hunks are seen training in different parts of the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility — the area where real astronauts train to get their bodies used to the rigors of space.
Harry Styles is seen playing around with a Robonaut — a human-like robot, while Niall Horan, Liam Payne, and Louis Tomlinson all take turns trying out amazing real-life space technology including the Partial Gravity Simulator.
At the end of the video, the guys are filmed making their way into a space rocket, putting their helmets on, and shaking hands with a NASA scientist before they’re blasted into into space!
The 1D gang dropped their first post-Malik single back in July, without a fanfare — releasing it onto Spotify and iTunes and then tweeting about the release to their fans.
“We couldn’t wait for you to hear our new single, ‘Drag Me Down,’ so we released it early,” Horan, 21, explained in a video on Twitter. “We are so thankful for all of the support we’ve had, so we decided to release the song for all of our fans.”
The release came a day after news of Malik’s new solo record deal with RCA, a chance he described as an “opportunity to show you who i really am! #realmusic.”
Nevertheless, the former One Direction member, 22, gave his one-time bandmates a virtual thumbs-up for their new release. “Proud of my boys the new single is sick,” he tweeted the day after it was released. “Big love.”
Watch the new video above!