SpaceX的星艦火箭隔熱罩可能成為實現快速重複使用的重大障礙。三位前NASA研究人員和專家指出，星艦第十三次試飛後，隔熱瓦片出現明顯裂痕和損傷，顯示目前的熱防護系統設計不足以支撐執行長馬斯克對快速重複發射的雄心。儘管星艦成功降落在印度洋而非如先前試飛般爆炸，但高清影像揭示了瓦片的嚴重受損情況。（關鍵數字：24）

前NASA資深顧問查爾斯·米勒與前NASA研究員丹尼爾·拉斯基及前太空人查爾斯·卡馬達共同分析認為，星艦使用的隔熱瓦片與已退役的太空梭類似，可能採用陶瓷材料製成。這類瓦片在每次飛行後往往需要更換和翻修，無法達到SpaceX期望的每小時發射一次的目標。拉斯基表示，修復工作可能需要數週到數天，遠非像飛機般清潔加油即可再次飛行。

專家警告，隔熱罩問題可能影響SpaceX發射多達一百萬顆人工智慧數據中心衛星的計畫，並可能延誤或增加為NASA執行載人登月任務的成本。航太新創公司Stoke Space正在開發新型隔熱技術，但專家呼籲美國政府應立即重啟對新型熱防護技術的基礎研究投資，以便SpaceX未來能夠整合更先進的解決方案。

SpaceX's Starship heat shield may pose a major obstacle to Elon Musk's vision of rapid rocket reusability. Three former NASA researchers and experts raised concerns after observing significant tile damage following Starship's thirteenth test flight on July 24. While the spacecraft successfully landed intact in the Indian Ocean, high-definition footage revealed substantial cracking and damage to the thermal protection system tiles, leading the experts to conclude that the current design is inadequate for rapid turnaround between flights.

The analysts — former NASA senior adviser Charles Miller, former NASA heat shield researcher Daniel Rasky, and former astronaut Charles Camarda — believe Starship's tiles resemble those used on the retired Space Shuttle, likely made from a ceramic material requiring extensive inspection, repair, and replacement after each mission. Rasky, who co-invented the heat shield material used on SpaceX's Dragon capsule, estimated refurbishment could take days to weeks, far from the airline-like operations Musk envisions.

The heat shield limitations could impede SpaceX's plans to launch up to one million AI data center satellites and may delay or increase costs for NASA's lunar landing missions using Starship. While aerospace startup Stoke Space is developing alternative heat shield technology, the experts urge the U.S. government to immediately invest in fundamental research for advanced thermal protection systems that SpaceX could eventually incorporate into future Starship iterations.