Plasma of 4,000 degrees F is enveloping Orion’s crew module now and signals from the spacecraft cannot get through it. The base heat shield will bear the brunt of the heat, but the backshell of the capsule will see high temperatures too. That’s why it’s been covered with black tiles like those used on the space shuttle. This blackout is expected to last about 2 1/2 minutes.
“black tiles like those used on the space shuttle”
Hopefully NASA put a little more thought into the tile application this time around.