Part 5/13:
Simultaneously, the Starship's upper stage entered Earth's atmosphere at speeds exceeding 8 km/second, initiating the re-entry phase. Multiple real-time views from Starlink terminals aboard the vehicle provided unprecedented visual data, showcasing the ablative heat shield in action. The heat shield, which was intentionally stripped of approximately 2,100 tiles to assess performance under more demanding conditions, demonstrated resilience despite some tiles showing signs of burn-through.