heat shield

American  

noun

Aerospace.

1. a coating or structure that surrounds part of the nose cone or other vulnerable surfaces of a spacecraft and, by heat absorption or ablation, protects them from excessive heating during reentry.

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heat shield British  

noun

1. a coating or barrier for shielding from excessive heat, such as that experienced by a spacecraft on re-entry into the earth's atmosphere

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heat shield Scientific  

1. A barrier that prevents a substance from absorbing heat energy from an outside source by absorbing and dissipating, or simply reflecting, that heat. Heat shields are commonly used to protect parts of a device from heat generated by its energy source, as in isolating the cabin of a car from its motor. Many spacecraft dissipate heat generated by friction with the atmosphere upon reentry using heat shields that melt and vaporize, dissipating the energy back into the atmosphere.

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Etymology

Origin of heat shield

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

During the previous, uncrewed Artemis mission, the Orion craft’s heat shield didn’t perform as expected, with protective material on the device chipping off.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

The stakes are particularly high given concerns that arose during Artemis I, a 2022 uncrewed test flight to the Moon and back that saw the Orion heat shield erode in unexpected ways.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

The heat shield is made of a material called Avcoat that is supposed to melt away during re-entry, keeping the Orion crew capsule protected from intense temperatures.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

The agency ultimately deemed replacing the Artemis II heat shield too much of a logistical headache and opted for the latter, simpler approach.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

I think as the heat shield breaks away, and the floor below Fly and me drops, allowing my bottom cameras to view Mars for the very first time.

From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga