With companies like SpaceX now envisioning space travel with scheduled flights, the reduction of heat damage has become a key concern. The need for a complete refurb on vehicles after each trip would make regular flights almost impossible. The solution, then, is a reusable vehicle requiring minimal repairs after each journey.
The Apollo missions used craft that were designed for a single use. The heat shield on the capsule was ablative: it would ablate (wear away), layer by layer, and was not re-usable. SpaceX have found an effective solution for their ‘Starship’: a heatshield composed of around 18,000 hexagonal, silica-based ceramic tiles. The regular shape of their custom tile design allows the windward side of the craft to be shrouded in identical tiles, with very few special shapes needed, thus reducing production costs.
On the NASA shuttle, tiles were attached using adhesives that did not always survive the over 1600 degrees Celsius temperatures. The consequent weakening of the shield could be fatal, as in 2003’s Columbia disaster. SpaceX have therefore found a method for fixing the tiles with pins, securing them in very high temperatures.
The tiles have a black, high-emissivity coating that radiates heat into the surrounding space, forming a passive cooling system. Following successful testing, SpaceX are now attaching these tiles to flaps on the assembly line in their production facilities, with the company’s dream of scheduled space flights being closer than ever to becoming a reality.
At Digital Ceramics Custom Tiles, we produce tiles in a wide range of shapes, textures and styles using our state-of-the-art tile printing technologies. Talk to us now and let’s discuss how our tiles could be tailored to your current design project.
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