Missing heat tiles
Lots of TPS tiles missing on S25 today. It’s important to note that SpaceX likely fully expected this to happen. On S28 every tile was tested using a suction cup to verify adhesion. This was not performed on S25 and as a result a large number of tiles along the ring weld lines… pic.twitter.com/SfccDNrheS
— Zack Golden (@CSI_Starbase) November 18, 2023
SpaceX continues to struggle with Starship’s thermal protection system, which is meant to protect the upper stage during atmospheric reentry. Batches of tiles keep coming off during launch, as was the case again on Saturday, but as SpaceX’s Zack Golden pointed out on X, the company expects to roll out a solution during a future flight.
