STARSHIP HEAT SHIELD: THE TOUGHEST CHALLENGE FOR FULL REUSABILITY – ELON MUSK ON THE KEY TO ORBITAL RETURNThe reusable heat shield is the single hardest part of making Starship truly revolutionary.No vehicle has ever achieved a fully reusable orbital-class thermal protection system that survives reentry multiple times with minimal refurbishment. ~18,000 hexagonal ceramic tiles must withstand temperatures hotter than lava (~1,600°C+), radiate heat away, handle thermal expansion/contraction, and allow rapid r ...

RT Hypnotic (@HalcyonHypnotic)Flight 5: “We’ve removed tiles from the heat shield of starship, so don’t be surprised if explodes”> ship survivesFlight 6: “We’ve removed tiles from the heat shield of starship to intentionally stress test the ship.”> ship survivesFlight 10: “We’ve removed even more tiles from the heat shield of starship, so don’t be surprised if the ship explodes”> ship survivesFlight 11: “We’ve removed EVEN MORE tiles from the heat shield of starship, and we’ve removed tiles in key areas, al ...