Part 7/12:
The spacecraft then began its re-entry trajectory into Earth's atmosphere. During re-entry, the vehicle experienced plasma build-up—a thermal phenomenon testing the thermal protection system. The vehicle’s heat shields and tiles were monitored closely, with some tiles intentionally missing in high-heat zones to assess resilience under extreme conditions. Despite some missing tiles and areas exposed beneath bare steel, the vehicle held together, providing invaluable data to improve future versions.