SpaceX's New Starship Flight 7 FLAP Upgraded to End 1500°C Melt During Reentry...

SpaceX's New Starship Flight 7 FLAP Upgraded to End 1500°C Melt During Reentry...
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SpaceX's New Starship Flight 7 FLAP Upgraded to End 1500°C Melt During Reentry...
This is the era of Starship V2!
Many systems on Starship are undergoing significant changes, addressing the challenges encountered during V1’s development—most notably, the intense 1500-degree Celsius temperatures during re-entry. Among these systems, the flaps stand out as a critical focus.
Now, with innovative designs and advanced technology, Starship V2’s flaps are prepared to overcome previous limitations and achieve unprecedented milestones.
So, what upgrades have been made to Starship’s flaps?
Let’s explore the details in today’s episode of Great SpaceX.
SpaceX's New Starship Flight 7 FLAP Upgraded to End 1500°C Melt During Reentry...
SpaceX has made 2025 a landmark year, marking the transition to the highly anticipated Starship V2. This journey begins with Flight 7, featuring prototypes S33 and B14. While B14 retains the V1 design, S33 introduces the V2 model with substantial changes, most notably in the flap system, which has drawn significant attention.
Before delving into the upgrades, it’s important to understand why these changes were necessary. The V1 flaps were notable for their large, heavy design, with relatively even edges. Both forward and aft flaps followed this pattern. The forward flaps were symmetrically placed on either side of the nosecone at a 180-degree angle and were connected to the ship by a joint, creating a small but problematic gap.
This design showed clear vulnerabilities during re-entry, a process that subjects spacecraft to extreme temperatures of up to 1500 degrees Celsius. During Flight 4, for instance, the forward flaps were severely damaged, nearly detaching from the ship. While subsequent flights showed some improvement, small fires near the flaps continued to occur, highlighting the need for a more robust solution.
SpaceX's New Starship Flight 7 FLAP Upgraded to End 1500°C Melt During Reentry...
Elon Musk himself acknowledged these issues as early as 2021. He stated: “Btw, there’s a slight error with forward flap design. Moving section is needed for control, but passive section is counter-productive, as it pushes nose backwards.” This pointed to inherent flaws in the design that needed addressing to withstand the harsh realities of re-entry.
Enter Starship V2, where SpaceX made bold strides to upgrade the flap system and address these issues head-on.
One of the most noticeable changes lies in the size and shape of the forward flaps. Compared to their V1 counterparts, the new forward flaps are smaller, with reduced thickness to make them more compact and significantly lighter. This optimization not only improves the flaps' functionality but also reduces the overall mass of the spacecraft, which is critical for efficiency.
Additionally, the shape of the forward flaps has been refined. The edges are now sharper, likely to enhance aerodynamic control during flight. The connection between the flaps and the ship has also been improved, eliminating the sensitive gaps seen in the V1 design. This unified structure minimizes weak points and enhances the spacecraft’s resilience during re-entry.
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To be resolved, thank you.

[johndunstan]

I suggested to my wife we should update her flaps. I'm doing well and should be out of hospital soon.

[KaiGolf-bc]

Thanks for the update! The new flap design makes total sense 👌.

[richardcorwin]

I like the way that SpaceX allows itself iterative designs and continues to improve. Thank you Kevin and God Bless to all.

[madelineremy]

Yes, I hope the upgrade will work out well soon. I am excited and locked forward to the launch 7 of Starships

[scottre]

With the new flaps, Starship is looking more and more like the von Braun rocket paintings from the 1950's.

[gailsimmons]

Yes!! I'm at South Padre Island, TX, waiting to witness test #7!!

[alanhart]

Yes! Looking foward to seeing if the upgrades work.

[ncbob]

Yes, the new flaps are one of the biggest things I was looking forward to on V2❤

[richbl]

The forward flaps have also been moved to the leeward side just a little bit so minimizing drag and protecting the forward flaps from melting at the pivot point.

[katrine-pearls]

It's wonderful to knw it's forever improvements, upgrades, and forever innovations of SpaceX~Starships, Flights, or Falcon esp during the reentry to our Earth's surface.
It's exciting and thrilling to watch the New Falcon 7 launch in the orbit very soon, dispensing the payload of Starlink on 01-13-2025
Thank U ✨️ kev. It's nice to look ahead and ur favz remarks. "To keep looking up."❗️
~ 😺

[robertlescinski]

I’m glad your recovery is progressing.

An unmanned starship moon landing will be a similar challenge due to communications and distance. Perhaps the starship will act autonomously using sensors for corrections needed rather than remotely from earth. Maybe choppy water simulates a rocky moon surface.

[contestvoter]

V2 flew into London targets in the 40s.

[clydecox]

It looks cooler anyway. Let's see if it works.

[investmentgammler]

Is the new heat shield strong enough for lunar mission reentry?

[rawhidewolf]

We're 2 days away from a New Glenn launch and all I can think about is Starship/Superheavy. Besos and Blue Origin are clueless. They should be promoting the dream and not just the program. I hope the New Glenn launch goes perfectly, but I excited about Starship.

[erod]

Lighter flaps means more weight can be used for cargo. No wonder Starship V2 is larger than V1.

[katrine-pearls]

Welcome back Kev✨️, yes, u're 💯 percent bettah❗️Nice and HOORAH❗️
Have a nice w-ends 👍
~kat

[whztransportcinnamon]

Is it your own voice or whatever? 2:55

[Jim-tb]

In my opinion, which doesn't mean anything, anyway... I still do not believe the Starship needs to reEnter the atmosphere at meteorite speeds.
Turn the Starship around in orbit, fire engines to slow it down first. Then resume forward direction and reEnter Earth's atmosphere at 1/2 speed. It would greatly reduce friction and heat.
Thus in effect reducing the damage and preparing reuse time.
When Starship enters Mars atmosphere, its thin atmospheric gases will not cause extreme heat.

[KayKaym]

Yes, looking forward to success for the new front flaps. I'm assuming SpaceX has complex computer simulations that say something like this should work. However, we shall see if it really works during actual re-entry. I will not be shocked if there is still some minor overheating. I don't believe the Starship can be turned around for another launch as quickly as SpaceX hopes. There will likely have to be a compromise between heat shield tile replacement and other basic refurbishment versus turn around time. Getting it down to 30 days would still be very impressive for full reusability.