Tag

Heat Shields

All articles tagged with #heat shields

space29 days ago•3 min saved

Starship Heat Shield Advances, but Boundary Cracks Spark Reuse Doubts

Flight 13 was largely successful for Starship V3, including Starlink deployment and an intact heat shield, with notable improvements over earlier flights. But expert analysis spotted white streaks at tile boundaries and some cracked edges that suggest hot gas may penetrate boundaries, signaling that rapid reuse remains a major hurdle and that the thermal protection system may require extensive inspection and refurbishment. SpaceX has improved the shield incrementally, while experts urge renewed focus or new approaches to heat shield design.

via Gizmodo|

#heat-shields #rapid-reuse #space

space-and-spaceflight3 months ago•16 min saved

Starship V3's Heat Shield Steals the Spotlight on Flight 12

Starship V3's Flight 12 was largely successful and its heat shield performed exceptionally well, with reentry temperatures around 1,450 C and video/images showing a uniform, largely intact shield thanks to new tile geometry and stronger attachment clips. SpaceX will study post-flight data since the vehicle was destroyed on splashdown to validate heat-shield durability for rapid reuse ahead of crewed Moon/Mars missions; meanwhile a separate multi-engine failure during the booster boostback caused a hard splashdown, a problem SpaceX must address before Flight 13.

via Gizmodo|

#heat-shields #rocket-launches #space-and-spaceflight

space-and-spaceflight4 months ago•17 min saved

Artemis 2 Heat Shield Holds Up, Easing Artemis 1 Fears

After Artemis 2's splashdown, NASA said Orion's heat shield performed as expected with no unusual conditions, significantly reducing the abnormal charring seen in Artemis 1. Initial concerns about a missing chunk were clarified by recovery photos, and NASA's skip-entry adjustment appears to have mitigated gas buildup and damage. The agency will continue tests and imaging over the coming weeks, but early results show the shield did its job and clears the path for future crewed Moon missions.

via Gizmodo|

#artemis-2 #heat-shields #nasa