All articles tagged with #heat shield
SpaceX's Starship upper stage from Flight 13 survived splashdown and is being towed toward shore off Western Australia, but Elon Musk says the recovery is not looking good despite close-up photos of critical heat-shield and engine areas; the mission deployed 20 Starlink V3 satellites, underscoring SpaceX's broader plan for a massive satellite constellation.
Experts warn Starship’s tile-based heat shield may prevent full, rapid reuse due to damage at tile boundaries and the need for inspections, signaling a bottleneck for high-rate launches. SpaceX is pursuing incremental material improvements, but without a breakthrough in Mach-25 thermal protection—and with NASA not funding new R&D for decades—the goal of hundreds to thousands of low-cost flights could remain out of reach.
SpaceX’s 13th Starship test ended with a near-perfect, intact splashdown in the Indian Ocean and the company is preparing for an orbital flight that could see the vehicle caught by the launch tower; engineers are prioritizing heat-shield data after surviving reentry with 18,000 tiles, while Starlink V3 satellites were deployed and burned up during the mission, signaling progress toward orbital missions and related refueling and Artemis-era goals.
SpaceX is preparing Starship’s 13th full-scale test flight, a roughly hour-long suborbital mission from Starbase, Texas, set for Thursday. This flight will carry 20 functioning Starlink V3 satellites in Starship’s cargo bay to test laser communications and interoperability with the Starlink network, while also evaluating heat‑shield tile attachments and load-sensing tiles. The mission also updates Raptor engine relight reliability and booster flip timing after May’s earlier test. If successful, the flight would move SpaceX closer to an orbital mission and potential future Starlink deployments.
The Parker Solar Probe is now flying through the Sun’s outer atmosphere, the corona, at about 430,000 mph—fast enough to cross the continental U.S. in 20 seconds. Behind a 4.5-inch-thick carbon-carbon shield with a carbon foam core, the electronics stay near room temperature while the shield’s face reaches roughly 2,500°F. The shield’s design lets it approach the Alfvén surface and sample fast‑moving solar wind and structures, a capability made possible by seven Venus flybys to tighten its orbit. The probe carries four instrument suites (FIELDS, SWEAP, WISPR, ISʘIS) to study electric and magnetic fields, particles, and corona imagery, and its speed and shielding enable science beyond the original plan.
SpaceX’s Starship V3 Flight 12 from Pad 2 survived an engine-out ascent and reentry, deploying 22 payloads to test orbit-based heat-shield inspection that could speed up future flights, as NASA maintains Artemis IV targets and SpaceX moves toward a June 2026 IPO.
The Parker Solar Probe remains the fastest human-made object, zipping through the Sun’s corona at about 430,000 mph and protected by a 4.5-inch-thick carbon-foam heat shield; after seven Venus gravity assists it now sits in its closest solar orbit, operating autonomously and returning data on the corona and solar wind as NASA extends the mission beyond its original plan.
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe travels about 430,000 mph as it skimms the Sun with a 4.5-inch carbon-foam thermal shield that keeps its instruments near room temperature, enabling unprecedented study of the corona, solar wind, and magnetic switchbacks during close solar passes.
SpaceX's Starship V3 Flight 12 will launch a suborbital test that deploys 22 Starlink‑style satellites (including two inspector craft to image the heat shield) to evaluate tile reliability and reentry readiness, while the Super Heavy booster returns to the Gulf of Mexico and Starship's upper stage splashes down in the Indian Ocean about an hour later.
SpaceX is targeting May 19 for the debut of Starship V3 (Flight 12), the first launch from Pad 2, featuring Raptor 3 engines, an integrated hot stage, enhanced heat-shield testing with Starlink satellites, and planned splashdowns for Booster 19 and Ship 39 as part of its propulsion and lunar-return testing program.
Space.com’s Space Photo of the Day shows NASA’s Artemis 2 Orion capsule charred at Kennedy Space Center after its 10‑day lunar mission, highlighting a reentry temperature near 5,000°F. The crew—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen—returned to Earth with a Pacific splashdown on April 10, and NASA will study the heat shield’s performance to inform Artemis 3.
NASA’s Artemis 2 heat shield was photographed underwater after the Orion capsule’s splashdown off San Diego on April 10, 2026. The scorched tiles endured reentry temperatures near 5,000°F (about 2,800°C), and divers captured images of the heat shield as the capsule is prepared for return to Kennedy Space Center for further study ahead of Artemis 3.
Navy divers underwater photos of Artemis 2’s splashdown offer a rare view of the Orion capsule’s heat shield in action; early analysis suggests the heat shield performed well and the ceramic tiles held up, with airborne imagery also aiding review. NASA says minimal char loss was observed and the data will inform checks ahead of Artemis 3 in 2028, as NASA faces broader program challenges highlighted by a Blue Origin setback with its New Glenn rocket.
US Navy divers captured an underwater image of Artemis II's heat shield after splashdown in the Pacific, showing significantly less damage than Artemis I and suggesting improved reentry performance; NASA will continue inspections to confirm durability for future crewed lunar missions.
NASA reports Artemis II's heat shield endured a blistering 24,664 mph reentry with only minimal char, no cracked tiles, and intact reflective tape, according to initial post-splashdown assessments; divers' photos confirm a precise splashdown and NASA says the heat shield performed as expected, addressing earlier concerns about using the Artemis I shield for Artemis II and keeping the program on track for future missions.