SpaceX paying special attention to heat shield tiles for Starship 4

Starship Flight 4 will have to endure the maximum heat during atmospheric reentry and SpaceX is paying special attention to heat shield tiles to achieve this milestone.

The company is anticipating the flight to launch on June 6 but requires a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval. Enduring the maximum reentry heat is important for the vehicle to attempt sea landing on a virtual tower.

Felix from WAI shared an image of the Starship spacecraft on X. Captured on May 31, the image shows Flight 4’s upper stage covered with heat shields. He mentioned that SpaceX is specially focused on these heat shields for the upcoming test flight. The purpose of a heat shield is to deflect the maximum heat and protect the spacecraft during reentry. Therefore, the Starship maker doesn’t want to leave any place uncovered or space to pass the heat inside the vehicle.

Starship Flight 4 Heat Shield Tiles (Image Source – WAI John Cargile/X)

During the test flight 3, Starship reentered the Earth’s atmosphere in a planned trajectory and began to roll. Its pitch angle shifted dramatically and caused the aft of the vehicle to enter the atmosphere first. Then the heat shield tiles began to rip off from the ship and caused the mission. These shifted have been found floating in the sea, and beaches near the launch site, which probably fell during the liftoff.

It’s believed that the heat shield material caused this damage in the third flight. Prior to this test, the first and second flights did not achieve the orbit. Therefore, Starship Flight 3 came face to face with the max heat for the first time. The adhesive will also give a test during Flight 4.

Eventually, the company will have to ensure that the spacecraft retains almost all heat shields during the reentry phase. If succeeds, the Starship will attempt a landing in the ocean.