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

That would be enough time, however, for some of them to capture images of Starship’s heat shield, then transmit them to mission controllers on the ground via SpaceX’s Starlink network. — Lee Billings & Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 16 July 2026

The primary goal is to evaluate how the Starship’s heat shield — a coating of hexagonal tiles designed to protect the ship from the scorching temperatures of reentry — performs. — Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 16 July 2026

Six of the 20 satellites also have cameras on board to scan Starship’s heat shield, which continues to be modified for the rocket’s ultimate operational configuration. — Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 July 2026

Six of the Starlink V3 satellites are equipped with cameras to record live views of Starship and its heat shield and beam them back to Earth for analysis. — Tariq Malik, Space.com, 15 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1962, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for heat shield

• afield
• airfield
• annealed
• appealed
• brownfield
• coalfield
• concealed
• congealed
• cornfield
• downfield
• goldfield
• hayfield

Kids Definition

heat shield

noun

: a barrier of insulation to protect a space capsule from heat on its return to earth