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
The two modified Starlink satellites were tasked with scanning Starship's heat shield tiles, in a test meant to assess the ability to inspect them for possible damage prior to reentry.
—
Josh Dinner, Space.com, 23 May 2026
The reentry phase represented one of the most critical parts of the flight because SpaceX has been working to improve the spacecraft’s heat shield following previous test flights.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 23 May 2026
Most importantly, the ship’s heat shield appeared to hold up during reentry over the Indian Ocean.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 23 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.
Josh Dinner, Space.com, 23 May 2026
The reentry phase represented one of the most critical parts of the flight because SpaceX has been working to improve the spacecraft’s heat shield following previous test flights.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 23 May 2026
Most importantly, the ship’s heat shield appeared to hold up during reentry over the Indian Ocean.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 23 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 30 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
