The ever growing challenges faced in the field of space flight motivate the scientific community to seek innovative solutions. Considering that aerospace applications have a strong impact on several fields, a curious change in trend has recently started: space, so far inaccessible to most and reserved for government space agencies, is now capturing the attention of industrial companies, accelerating technical progress. The design of high-performance spacecraft, capable of operating in extreme environments, is thereby of primary interest. An incredibly challenging task is related to atmospheric entry and thermal protection issue, which require the development of special heat shields. Ablative materials are largely used with this aim and, in particular, a class of low-density, charring and cork-based ablators has been recently developed.