Part 11/12:
Throughout the flight, Starlink played an essential role—not only providing live views of plasma and re-entry but also gathering critical data on tile integrity, plasma effects on communications, and thermal protection. This comprehensive dataset will guide iterative improvements to Starship’s design, especially in heat shield resilience, tile placement, and guidance systems.
The flight’s success demonstrates that even with intentionally missing tiles and exposed steel areas, Starship can survive re-entry conditions, validating its design and establishing a foundation for future Mars missions, lunar landings, and point-to-point Earth transportation.