heat shield
noun
: a barrier of ablative material to protect a space capsule from heat on its entry into an atmosphere
Examples of heat shield in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
They are made up of a top plate and a heat shield, which is jettisoned before splashdown.
—
Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 1 June 2026
The good news is that Starship’s heat shield appeared to function well during reentry, with fewer signs of damage or degradation as the vehicle splashed down northwest of Australia.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 29 May 2026
For example, Ship successfully deployed 20 dummy Starlink internet satellites, as well as two actual Starlinks equipped with cameras to image the vehicle's heat shield in space.
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 27 May 2026
Once separated from its booster, the spacecraft deployed 20 dummy Starlink Internet satellites at an altitude of around 195 kilometers, as well as two operational satellites that are designed to scan Starship’s heat shield and beam images back to Earth for further analysis.
—Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 22 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for heat shield
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 1 June 2026
The good news is that Starship’s heat shield appeared to function well during reentry, with fewer signs of damage or degradation as the vehicle splashed down northwest of Australia.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 29 May 2026
For example, Ship successfully deployed 20 dummy Starlink internet satellites, as well as two actual Starlinks equipped with cameras to image the vehicle's heat shield in space.
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 27 May 2026
Once separated from its booster, the spacecraft deployed 20 dummy Starlink Internet satellites at an altitude of around 195 kilometers, as well as two operational satellites that are designed to scan Starship’s heat shield and beam images back to Earth for further analysis.
—Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 22 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for heat shield
Cite this Entry
“Heat shield.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heat%20shield. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
