Why Did SpaceX’s Starship Look So Orange After Re-entry? Elon Musk Finally Weighs In

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said on Thursday that the orange color seen on Starship’s body during its re-entry earlier this week was rust from rapid oxidation of metallic test tiles.

The Starship’s tenth mission on Tuesday went largely successful as it deployed mock satellites for the first time, and then splashed down into the ocean on Tuesday, ticking key mission goals in a much-awaited win for the company.

However, several X users were surprised by the orange coloration of the body and were discussing the possible reasons behind the appearance.

“The red color is from some metallic test tiles that oxidized, and the white is from the insulation of areas where we deliberately removed tiles,” Musk wrote on X.

One of the key goals of the mission was to test alternative protective materials for the blazing heat during re-entry. “Worth noting that the heat shield tiles almost entirely stayed attached, so the latest upgrades are looking good!” Musk added.

The giant vehicle is designed to replace SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets and is the centerpiece of Musk’s ambitions to send humans to Mars, with the goal of carrying NASA astronauts to the Moon by 2027. However, this year, the company has seen several high-profile failures.

Earlier this year, the FAA had grounded Starship test flights for nearly two months after back-to-back post-launch explosions caused debris to fall at Caribbean islands and forced dozens of commercial airliners to divert. Another launch in May was partially successful, but in June, Starship exploded during an engine test, which the company described as a “major anomaly.”

SpaceX is also facing intense competition from companies like Blue Origin, Rocket Lab, and United Launch Alliance, which are seeking to challenge the company’s dominance in the industry.

Retail sentiment on Stocktwits regarding the ULA stakeholders, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin, was in the ‘neutral’ and ‘bullish’ territories, respectively.

Also See: 'How Time Flies:' Elon Musk Trolls ULA Over Old Doubts On SpaceX's Reusable Rockets As Falcon 9 Racks Up Wins

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