SpaceX's Starship faces development challenges similar to those encountered by NASA's space shuttles, particularly with thermal protection systems, highlighting the complex history of space vehicle safety.

While Elon Musk emphasizes the vision of making humanity multi-planetary, he has not focused on detailed technical hurdles or recent setbacks during his public appearances.

A critical milestone for Starship is achieving in-orbit refueling, which is necessary for deep space missions, as the current design limits its payload capacity to low-Earth orbit without recharging.

NASA engineer Camarda tested metallic heat shield concepts that could withstand extreme heat, but these designs were never implemented on the shuttle due to technological and budget constraints.

Starship has experienced setbacks such as fuel leaks, engine malfunctions, and a ground test explosion involving a nitrogen tank, though Elon Musk has not publicly detailed these issues recently.

Camarda praises SpaceX for its rapid and bold experimentation with heat shield designs, contrasting with NASA’s cautious, incremental approach constrained by limited budgets.

NASA's shuttle used reinforced carbon-carbon and ceramic tiles for heat protection, which were prone to damage, exemplified by the Columbia disaster caused by foam strike damage to a reinforced carbon-carbon panel.