SpaceX’s Heat Shield Problem FIXED For Next Starship Launch!
===
intro 0:00
(Ship 29 heatshield’s notable upgrades) 0:14
(The upgrades on heatshield) 2:27
(The additional breaking news) 5:00
outro 8:17
===
#techmap #techmaps #elonmusk #starshipspacex #spacex
===
SpaceX’s Heat Shield Problem FIXED For Next Starship Launch!
Finally happened.
A complete overhaul of the Starship’s heat shield is coming.
It’s true. Elon Musk SpaceX has just revealed a new generation Starship Heatshield that is twice as powerful.
Find out everything in today’s episode of Techmap.
In the previous announcements, Elon emphasized that SpaceX’s current focus is on reentry, particularly something that can make it safe. Among that, the heat shield is the biggest remaining problem. It’s partly due to its vital level, Elon admitted that even a single missing tile could cause the ship to burn up in the atmosphere.
SpaceX’s Heat Shield Problem FIXED For Next Starship Launch!
“Right now, we are not resilient to loss of a single tile in most places, as the secondary containment material will probably not survive.”
Besides that, no orbital vehicle, even Nasa’s Space Shuttle can make a reusable orbital return heat shield in real meaning.
Flight 4 marked SpaceX’s first significant upgrade attempt for the thermal protection system on Starship.
First of all, they intentionally left off two Starbricks to test whether losing one brick was truly a disaster for the mission. Can’t help but mention the location of the missing tiles is very important, given that they were located in the ship’s engine skirt. If the steel there melted, it would affect the normal operation of engines, likely leading to a failed landing. Yet, the result is so surprising, Ship 29 still had an impressive reentry.
So, what do you think? Is one or two missing tiles truly a big deal? Let me know in the comments.
SpaceX’s Heat Shield Problem FIXED For Next Starship Launch!
The third point was replaced by a thinner tile than the others, this is likely to test the heat resilience of something new that I will unveil later.
Or another speculation is the removal of the insulation blanket beneath the weird brick.
That white mat acts as an additional insulation for the hull, besides the heatshield outside. The best part is no part. SpaceX could come up with the idea of ditching that component for weight loss.
The night before the historical Flight 4, Elon also emphasized the dangers of the hinge gap on the flap, allowing hot gas to go through super fast and destroy the heatshield in this area. And, what happened with Ship 29’s rear flap was completely within his prediction. Therefore, in flight 5, we will see the hinge gap on the flaps to be sealed.
Of course, work on the flap is not enough to perfect Starship’s TPS, thus, Elon Musk has come up with a new idea.
===
Subcribe TechMap:
