Orissa, Feb. 15 -- Elon Musk gifted Prime Minister Narendra Modi a rare piece of space history during their meeting at Washington DC's Blair House on Friday. Beyond a gesture, the gist was exceptionally rare provided the significance of the engineering marvel associated with it.

The SpaceX CEO presented a hexagonal ceramic tile from the Starship spacecraft's fifth test flight in October 2024, Inscribed with the words, "Starship Flight Test 5. October 13, 2024," the gift symbolized cutting-edge engineering and also a nod to Indian-US technological collaboration.

The SpaceX Starship Tile: A Shield Against Extreme Heat The gifted tile was a part of Starship's advanced heat shield, designed to protect the spacecraft during fiery re-entry in...