Topic: raptor engines

SpaceX's Starship Lesson: "We Need to Seal the Tiles"

September 10, 2025

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SpaceX's Starship Lesson: "We Need to Seal the Tiles"

SpaceX engineers identified issues with Starship's thermal protection system after its latest test flight and are planning upgrades for the next mission. The mission successfully achieved a precise splashdown in the Indian Ocean, landing within 10 feet of the target, and demonstrated improved hea...

SpaceX's Starship Faces Same Critical Flaw That Doomed NASA Shuttles

SpaceX aims to catch returning spacecraft mid-air using mechanical arms to enable rapid reusability, a technique demonstrated with the Super Heavy booster. The primary challenge is perfecting Starship's heat shield to prevent tile loss and damage, requiring extensive testing and design improvemen...

SpaceX Aims for Orbital Starship Flight With Next-Gen Vehicle by 2026

SpaceX is targeting an orbital Starship flight as early as 2026, with engineers making critical improvements, especially to the heat shield, following a recent test. The latest test flight successfully executed a controlled splashdown with high precision, though the vehicle showed wear, including...