Main Engine Cut Off

Andrew Jones returns to the show to catch up on the Chinese space industry—Tiangong, reusable launchers, constellations, and the Moon.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 35 executive producers—Tyler, Jan, Will and Lars from Agile Space, Benjamin, Warren, Pat, Russell, Craig from SpaceHappyHour.com, Theo and Violet, SmallSpark Space Systems, Steve, Fred, Stealth Julian, Better Every Day Studios, Kris, The Astrogators at SEE, David, Joonas, Pat from KC, Brandon, Donald, Josh from Impulse Space, Joel, Ryan, Matt, Harrison, Bob, Tim Dodd, the Everyday Astronaut, Lee Hopkins, Frank, and four anonymous—and 823 other supporters.

Topics

• Andrew Jones (@AJ_FI) / X
• Orienspace breaks Chinese commercial launch records with Gravity-1 solid rocket - SpaceNews
• Shanghai firm behind G60 megaconstellation raises $943 million - SpaceNews
• China to debut large reusable rockets in 2025 and 2026 - SpaceNews
• India targets uncrewed Gaganyaan orbital test mission in July, crewed flight in 2025 - SpaceNews
• China rolls out rocket for Queqiao-2 lunar satellite launch - SpaceNews
• China's 2024 space plans include 100 launches and moon sample return mission - SpaceNews

The Show

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Neel Kunjur, Co-Founder and CTO of K2 Space, joins me to talk about their vision for the future of satellites and the wider space industry, what they’ve been up to lately, and what their roadmap to the launch pad looks like from here.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 35 executive producers—David, Pat from KC, Joonas, Josh from Impulse Space, Will and Lars from Agile Space, The Astrogators at SEE, Bob, Benjamin, Russell, SmallSpark Space Systems, Theo and Violet, Matt, Ryan, Warren, Brandon, Steve, Tim Dodd, the Everyday Astronaut, Fred, Tyler, Joel, Jan, Stealth Julian, Harrison, Frank, Kris, Donald, Lee Hopkins, Better Every Day Studios, Pat, Craig from SpaceHappyHour.com, and four anonymous—and 823 other supporters.

Topics

• K2 Space | Developing large satellites for a post-Starship future
• Episode 120 - Big Dumb Satellites - Off-Nominal
• Startup K2 Space raises $50 million to build monster satellites

The Show

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Tim Crain, Co-Founder and CTO of Intuitive Machines, joins me to talk about their recent IM-1 mission to land Odysseus on the Moon as part of NASA’s CLPS program.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 36 executive producers—Russell, Chris, Josh from Impulse Space, Will and Lars from Agile Space, Warren, Ryan, Matt, Harrison, Lee Hopkins, Bob, Brandon, Stealth Julian, Frank, Tim Dodd, the Everyday Astronaut, Benjamin, Steve, The Astrogators at SEE, Craig from SpaceHappyHour.com, Donald, Theo and Violet, Pat, SmallSpark Space Systems, Jan, Kris, Pat from KC, Fred, David, Tyler, Joel, Joonas, Better Every Day Studios, and four anonymous—and 823 other supporters.

Topics

• Tim (@CrainTim) / X
• Intuitive Machines
• IM-1 | Intuitive Machines

The Show

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Eric Berger of Ars Technica joins me to talk about Intuitive Machine’s successful landing despite so many issues on the mission, the future of CLPS, and the tough questions facing NASA and its budget.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 36 executive producers—Tyler, Lee Hopkins, Better Every Day Studios, Joel, Jan, Will and Lars from Agile Space, Matt, Russell, Craig from SpaceHappyHour.com, Ryan, Donald, Brandon, Joonas, Fred, Tim Dodd, the Everyday Astronaut, Pat, SmallSpark Space Systems, Frank, Kris, Stealth Julian, The Astrogators at SEE, Warren, Benjamin, Steve, Chris, Theo and Violet, David, Pat from KC, Dawn Aerospace, Bob, Harrison, and four anonymous—and 823 other supporters.

Topics

• Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) / X
• Eric Berger | Ars Technica
• That moment when you land on the Moon, break a leg, and are about to topple over | Ars Technica
• It turns out that Odysseus landed on the Moon without any altimetry data | Ars Technica
• NASA faces a quandary with its audacious lunar cargo program | Ars Technica
• Before Ingenuity ever landed on Mars, scientists almost managed to kill it | Ars Technica

The Show

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I catch up with a round up of stories from January: ULA’s first Vulcan launch, Blue Origin’s success with its BE-4 engines and what it means for their year, Astrobotic’s Peregrine mission, JAXA’s SLIM mission, and NASA’s announcement of Artemis delays.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 36 executive producers—Tyler, Lee Hopkins, Better Every Day Studios, Joel, Jan, Will and Lars from Agile Space, Matt, Russell, Craig from SpaceHappyHour.com, Ryan, Donald, Brandon, Joonas, Fred, Tim Dodd, the Everyday Astronaut, Pat, SmallSpark Space Systems, Frank, Kris, Stealth Julian, The Astrogators at SEE, Warren, Benjamin, Steve, Chris, Theo and Violet, David, Pat from KC, Dawn Aerospace, Bob, Harrison, and four anonymous—and 828 other supporters.

Topics

• Vulcan Centaur launches Peregrine lunar lander on inaugural mission - SpaceNews
• Blue Origin gets U.S. Space Force funding for New Glenn ‘integration studies’ - SpaceNews
• NASA urged Astrobotic not to send its hamstrung spacecraft toward the Moon | Ars Technica
• Update #17 for Peregrine Mission One | Astrobotic
• Update #20 for Peregrine Mission One | Astrobotic
• Japan’s SLIM achieved pinpoint moon landing with just one working engine - SpaceNews
• Dawoon Jung on X: “One of #SLIM main engines fell off during landing”
• NASA Shares Progress Toward Early Artemis Moon Missions with Crew - NASA
• NASA delays Artemis 2 and 3 missions - SpaceNews

The Show

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Alex Fielding, CEO and Chairman of Privateer, joins me to talk about what they’re working on and what drives them as an organization.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 36 executive producers—Joel, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Joonas, Tyler, Bob, Craig from SpaceHappyHour.com, Theo and Violet, SmallSpark Space Systems, Matt, Harrison, Benjamin, Kris, Stealth Julian, Donald, David, Fred, Lee Hopkins, Pat from KC, Pat, Frank, Will and Lars from Agile Space, Dawn Aerospace, Jan, Russell, Better Every Day Studios, Steve, Tim Dodd, the Everyday Astronaut, Warren, Ryan, Brandon, and four anonymous—and 828 other supporters.

Topics

• Privateer
• Pono in Space! Reflections on the road to orbit - Privateer Space

The Show

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A special (free!) airing of this week’s episode of MECO Headlines. Starship IFT-2, Dragonfly, Ariane 6, ISS happenings, launches, and more.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 35 executive producers—Donald, Pat from KC, David, Theo and Violet, Dawn Aerospace, Steve, SmallSpark Space Systems, Jan, Chris, Bob, Tyler, Stealth Julian, Kris, Russell, Pat, Fred, Craig from SpaceHappyHour.com, Tim Dodd, the Everyday Astronaut, Will and Lars from Agile Space, Lee, Warren, Harrison, Brandon, Joonas, The Astrogators at SEE, Matt, Ryan, Joel, Frank, Benjamin, and four anonymous—and 835 other supporters.

Topics

• After upgrades, Starship achieves numerous successes during second test flight - NASASpaceFlight.com
• Starship/Super Heavy lifts off on second flight - SpaceNews
• Ariane 6 completes long-duration static-fire test - SpaceNews
• ESA sets mid-2024 date for first Ariane 6 launch - SpaceNews
• NASA’s Dragonfly to Proceed with Final Mission Design Work - NASA Science
• NASA postpones Dragonfly review, launch date - SpaceNews
• Space Station – Off The Earth, For The Earth
• Dragon Kicks Off Robotics and Science Activities on Station – Space Station
• Robotics Activities Continue; Crew Completes an Array of Research – Space Station
• Aging, Human Research Studies Ahead of Next Cargo Mission – Space Station
• China launches new-gen Haiyang ocean monitoring satellite - SpaceNews
• Launch Roundup: Starship, Falcon 9, and Chang Zheng-2C this week - NASASpaceFlight.com
• SatTrackCam Leiden (b)log: North Korea successfully launches the Malligyong-1 reconnaissance satellite
• China conducts launch to test satellite internet capabilities - SpaceNews
• Launch Roundup: SpaceX on pace to hit 100 launches in 2023, Soyuz to launch Bars-M - NASASpaceFlight.com

The Show

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ESA is looking to start a commercial cargo program while looking further ahead to commercial space stations by signing an agreement with Airbus and Voyager. Virgin Galactic is laying off 20% of its staff and ending VSS Unity flights in just a few months.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 35 executive producers—Russell, Joonas, Kris, SmallSpark Space Systems, Tim Dodd, the Everyday Astronaut, Jan, Chris, David, Warren, Stealth Julian, Craig from SpaceHappyHour.com, Pat from KC, Frank, Donald, Pat, Fred, Dawn Aerospace, Ryan, Steve, Tyler, Brandon, Harrison, Theo and Violet, Will and Lars from Agile Space, Joel, The Astrogators at SEE, Lee, Benjamin, Bob, Matt, and four anonymous—and 821 other supporters.

Topics

• Voyager Space and Airbus create commercial space station joint venture - SpaceNews
• ESA to start commercial cargo program - SpaceNews
• Airbus and Voyager sign agreement with ESA on Starlab commercial space station - SpaceNews
• Virgin Galactic lays off staff as it focuses on next-generation suborbital vehicle - SpaceNews
• Virgin Galactic to halt Unity suborbital flights by mid-2024 - SpaceNews
• Virgin Galactic’s president explains how VSS Unity is now flying frequently | Ars Technica

The Show

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Marcia Smith of SpacePolicyOnline.com joins me for a roundup of space policy topics—the House Speaker mayhem, the outlook for budgets over the next year, what to do about the ISS and its related expenses, and a lot more.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 35 executive producers—Frank, Kris, Tyler, Fred, Lee, Pat from KC, Dawn Aerospace, Stealth Julian, Craig from SpaceHappyHour.com, Theo and Violet, Steve, Benjamin, Warren, Pat, Donald, Joel, David, Ryan, Will and Lars from Agile Space, Bob, The Astrogators at SEE, Tim Dodd, the Everyday Astronaut, Jan, SmallSpark Space Systems, Joonas, Brandon, Harrison, Matt, Chris, Russell, and four anonymous—and 838 other supporters.

Topics

• SpacePolicyOnline.com – Your first stop for news, information and analysis about civil, military and commercial space programs
• Shutdown Averted, Government Funded Until November 17 – SpacePolicyOnline.com
• Speaker Mike Johnson: “The People’s House is Back in Business” – SpacePolicyOnline.com
• NASA Safety Panel Issues Clarion Call for ISS Deorbit Tug – SpacePolicyOnline.com
• NASA Upbeat About Future of Mars Sample Return Despite IRB-2 Report – SpacePolicyOnline.com
• SpaceX Warns Government Regulations Slowing Starship, Could Let China Get Ahead – SpacePolicyOnline.com
• NASA IG Skeptical of Major SLS Cost Savings From Services Contract – SpacePolicyOnline.com

The Show

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Dr. Molly Mulligan and Dr. Ken Savin of Redwire join me to talk about successfully 3D bioprinting the first human knee meniscus on the International Space Station in their BioFabrication Facility, how this work fits into the near and far future of both health and the space market at large, and to discuss a wide-ranging set of related topics.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 35 executive producers—Donald, Lee, Fred, Kris, Benjamin, Pat, Jan, Chris, Craig from SpaceHappyHour.com, Will and Lars from Agile Space, The Astrogators at SEE, Harrison, Joonas, Steve, Theo and Violet, Bob, Joel, Tim Dodd, the Everyday Astronaut, David, Pat from KC, Ryan, Russell, Stealth Julian, Brandon, Warren, Tyler, Dawn Aerospace, Matt, Frank, SmallSpark Space Systems, and four anonymous—and 837 other supporters.

Topics

• Redwire Space | Heritage + Innovation
• Redwire BioFabrication Facility Successfully Prints First Human Knee Meniscus on ISS, Paving the Way for Advanced In-Space Bioprinting Capabilities to Benefit Human Health | Redwire Space
• NG-18 Research: RedWire BioFabrication Facility - YouTube

The Show

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Chris Pearson (CEO) and Lars Osborne (Chief Engineer) of Agile Space join me to talk about what they’re working on, how the company has gotten to where it is today, and what’s in store for the future.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 35 executive producers—Pat from KC, Chris, Benjamin, Pat, Jan, Joonas, The Astrogators at SEE, Tyler, Dawn Aerospace, Bob, Fred, Joel, Donald, Frank, Lee, Craig from SpaceHappyHour.com, Matt, Stealth Julian, Russell, Brandon, SmallSpark Space Systems, Kris, Harrison, David, Ryan, Will and Lars from Agile Space, Steve, Theo and Violet, Tim Dodd, the Everyday Astronaut, Warren, and four anonymous—and 835 other supporters.

Topics

• Agile Space Industries
• Chris Pearson takes the reins at Agile Space Industries - SpaceNews
• Agile raises $13 million to expand production - SpaceNews
• Agile Qualifies a Thruster for Lunar Landings - Payload

The Show

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Northrop Grumman has changed plans—they’ve ended their own space station project, and will contribute to Starlab. At the same time, Blue Origin and Sierra Space are reconsidering their Orbital Reef plans, amidst changing leadership and raising money.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 35 executive producers—Jan, Frank, The Astrogators at SEE, Tim Dodd, the Everyday Astronaut, Joonas, David, Lars from Agile Space, Matt, Harrison, Theo and Violet, Kris, Pat, Stealth Julian, Lee, Bob, Ryan, Russell, Steve, Dawn Aerospace, Donald, Joel, Will from Agile, Benjamin, Brandon, Craig from SpaceHappyHour.com, Chris, Tyler, Pat from KC, Warren, Fred, SmallSpark Space Systems, and four anonymous—and 833 other supporters.

Topics

• Northrop Grumman to join Voyager Space commercial space station project - SpaceNews
• Blue Origin, Sierra Space Orbital Reef space station in limbo
• Sierra Space raises $290 million - SpaceNews
• Jeff Bezos finally got rid of Bob Smith at Blue Origin | Ars Technica

The Show

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Tom Marotta of The Spaceport Company joins me to talk about what they’re working on, their vision for the future of spaceflight, spaceport operations, the demonstration they did in May, the FAA and its interaction with private companies, reentry licensing, and a whole host of other topics.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 34 executive producers—Steve, Bob, Stealth Julian, David, Harrison, Lee, Jan, Joonas, Ryan, Theo and Violet, Frank, Chris, Pat, Lars and Will from Agile Space, Kris, Donald, SmallSpark Space Systems, Dawn Aerospace, Matt, Pat from KC, Tyler, Craig from SpaceHappyHour.com, Joel, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut), Fred, Benjamin, The Astrogators at SEE, Russell, Warren, and four anonymous—and 833 other supporters.

Topics

• Tom Marotta (@thomasmarotta) / X
• Tom Marotta | LinkedIn
• The Spaceport Company
• The Spaceport Company: Overview | LinkedIn
• The Spaceport Company (@TheSpaceportCo) / X
• The Spaceport Company- Full Length Launch ProRes HQ 4 - YouTube
• The Spaceport Company demonstrates offshore launch operations - SpaceNews
• Cape Congestion: World's busiest spaceport stretched to its limits - SpaceNews
• The Space Review: The spaceport bottleneck
• Chinese Ceres-1 rocket reaches orbit with first sea launch - SpaceNews
• The High Frontier: An Easier Way: Marotta, Tom, Globus, Al: 9781719231749: Amazon.com: Books

The Show

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• Artwork photo by ISRO
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Jake and Anthony are joined by Loren Grush of Bloomberg to talk about her new book, The Six: The Untold Story of America’s First Women Astronauts.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 34 executive producers—Frank, Chris, Joel, Fred, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut), Steve, David, Craig from SpaceHappyHour.com, Kris, Theo and Violet, Joonas, Lee, Bob, Stealth Julian, Pat, SmallSpark Space Systems, Harrison, Benjamin, Lars and Will from Agile Space, Ryan, Dawn Aerospace, Warren, The Astrogators at SEE, Tyler, Russell, Pat from KC, Matt, Jan, Donald, and four anonymous—and 842 other supporters.

Topics

• Off-Nominal Campaign for Relay FM/St. Jude
• Loren Grush - Bloomberg
• Loren Grush (@grushcrush) • Instagram photos and videos
• Loren Grush (@lorengrush) / Twitter
• Off-Nominal - YouTube
• Episode 123 - An Exciting Time (with Loren Grush) - YouTube
• The Six | Book by Loren Grush | Official Publisher Page | Simon & Schuster
• The Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy: a conversation with my parents who worked the accident - The Verge

The Show

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Scott Tilley joins me to talk about ISRO’s success with Chandrayaan-3, Roscosmos’ Luna-25 mission and the mystery behind it, and the state of the Deep Space Network.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 34 executive producers—Pat, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut), Joel, Fred, Craig from SpaceHappyHour.com, Steve, Pat from KC, Joonas, Jan, Kris, David, Frank, Russell, Tyler, Lee, The Astrogators at SEE, Warren, Benjamin, SmallSpark Space Systems, Chris, Ryan, Lars and Will from Agile Space, Dawn Aerospace, Theo and Violet, Harrison, Matt, Bob, Stealth Julian, Donald, and four anonymous—and 842 other supporters.

Topics

• Scott Tilley 🇺🇦 (@coastal8049) / X
• Riddles in the Sky – A blog dedicated to observing, mostly classified, satellites.
• Episode 51 - Hubbles In Reverse - Off-Nominal
• Chandrayaan-3: India becomes fourth country to land on the moon - SpaceNews
• ISRO on X: “Beyond Borders, Across Moonscapes: India's Majesty knows no bounds!. Once more, co-traveller Pragyan captures Vikram in a Snap! This iconic snap was taken today around 11 am IST from about 15 m. The data from the NavCams is processed by SAC/ISRO, Ahmedabad.”
• Luna-25 crashes into moon after orbit maneuver - SpaceNews
• Scott Tilley 🇺🇦 on X: “I have been asked repeatedly about #Luna25. Thus far I have no independent observations of the mission to share. That is not without extensive trying to observe it. So why am I not detecting anything? 🧵⬇️”
• NASA Deep Space Network reaches “critical point” as demand grows - SpaceNews
• Crescent Space | Home
• Intuitive Machines to Deploy and Operate First Lunar Communication Satellite in 2022

The Show

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Amazon moved their Project Kuiper prototypes from Vulcan to Atlas V. Between that and some recent conversations I’ve had, I thought it would be a good time to check in on Kuiper and to see how they’re progressing towards deployment. I do some math, and it’s not good.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 34 executive producers—Chris, Donald, Dawn Aerospace, Will, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut), Benjamin, Steve, Theo and Violet, Pat, Russell, The Astrogators at SEE, Harrison, Tyler, Jan, Bob, Kris, Lars from Agile Space, Pat from KC, Ryan, Lee, Stealth Julian, Warren, Craig from SpaceHappyHour.com, Fred, Matt, Frank, SmallSpark Space Systems, Joel, David, Joonas, and four anonymous—and 830 other supporters.

Topics

• Amazon moves Project Kuiper prototypes from Vulcan to Atlas 5 - SpaceNews
• Amazon signs multibillion-dollar Project Kuiper launch contracts - SpaceNews
• Arianespace signs unprecedented contract with Amazon for 18 Ariane 6 launches to deploy Project Kuiper constellation - Arianespace
• Blue Origin opens rocket engine factory - SpaceNews
• Barry Jenakuns on X: “Fun fact, because Bezos own's Blue Origin, Amazon have to declare how much money they spend(/receive) on them. Assuming that this is for the 27 launch option, the $2.7 billion spent would give a per launch cost for New Glenn of $100 million.”
• Episode 120 - Big Dumb Satellites - Off-Nominal

The Show

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After the most recent show, I found a few nuggets of information in the NSSL Phase 3 documents, plus some more updates came out in a call that the Space Force had with some reporters.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 35 executive producers—Donald, Lee, The Astrogators at SEE, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut), Kris, Simon, Pat, Pat from KC, Russell, Matt, Fred, Stealth Julian, SmallSpark Space Systems, Tyler, Jan, Dawn Aerospace, Ryan, Theo and Violet, David, Harrison, Joel, Benjamin, Frank, Bob, Chris, Will, Craig from SpaceHappyHour.com, Joonas, Steve, Lars from Agile Space, Warren, and four anonymous—and 835 other supporters.

Topics

• T+254: Mars Sample Return, Vulcan, NSSL Phase 3 (with Eric Berger) - Main Engine Cut Off
• National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 3 DRAFT Request for Proposals (RFPs) #2
• Space Force to select three providers of national security launch services - SpaceNews
• Space Force changed launch procurement plan due to concerns about capacity - SpaceNews

The Show

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• Work with me and my design and development agency: Pine Works

Eric Berger of Ars Technica joins me to talk about the budgetary threat facing Mars Sample Return, the latest issue with ULA’s Vulcan vehicle, and the ongoing tweaks to the National Security Space Launch Program’s Phase 3 architecture.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 35 executive producers—Will, Tyler, Ryan, Stealth Julian, Lars from Agile Space, Harrison, Craig from SpaceHappyHour.com, SmallSpark Space Systems, Pat, Theo and Violet, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut), Kris, Russell, Donald, Matt, Jan, Dawn Aerospace, Steve, Bob, Benjamin, Joel, Joonas, Lee, David, Warren, Frank, Simon, Fred, Chris, The Astrogators at SEE, Pat from KC, and four anonymous—and 833 other supporters.

Topics

• Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) / Twitter
• Eric Berger | Ars Technica
• NASA’s Mars Sample Return has a new price tag—and it’s colossal | Ars Technica
• The Senate just lobbed a tactical nuke at NASA’s Mars Sample Return program | Ars Technica
• Vulcan’s upper stage failed due to higher stress and weaker welds | Ars Technica
• Space Force to select three providers of national security launch services - SpaceNews
• National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 3 DRAFT Request for Proposals (RFPs) #2
• Stephen Clark | Ars Technica

The Show

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• Artwork photo by ULA
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Adrian Beil of NASASpaceFlight.com (and a long-time beloved member of the Off-Nominal Discord) joins me to talk about the state of German and European launch, with new entrants Rocket Factory Augsburgand Isar Aerospace getting close to the launch pad, many others working their way there, and institutional launch struggling amidst delays and geopolitics.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 34 executive producers—Frank, Harrison, Dawn Aerospace, Russell, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut), Bob, Pat, Benjamin, Kris, Lars from Agile Space, Craig from SpaceHappyHour.com, Stealth Julian, Joel, Fred, Simon, Theo and Violet, David, Pat from KC, The Astrogators at SEE, Tyler, Jan, Joonas, Chris, Steve, Matt, Warren, SmallSpark Space Systems, Donald, Ryan, Lee, and four anonymous—and 831 other supporters.

Topics

• Adrian Beil (@BCCarCounters) / Twitter
• Adrian Beil, Author at NASASpaceFlight.com
• Off-Nominal
• Rocket Factory Augsburg
• Isar Aerospace
• HyImpulse
• Rocket Factory Augsburg on Twitter: “Four days since we wrote history in Europe – and (of course) we still get goosebumps when watching the video! Now we want to share with you again four moments from our most exciting 280 seconds ever!”
• The biggest Meet & Greet of the European space community! - Space Creator Day

The Show

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• Artwork photo by Global Times
• Work with me and my design and development agency: Pine Works

NASA selected Blue Moon as the second human lunar lander for Artemis—which is awesome!—yet the budget outlook for the next few years is…not good. I think through what NASA can, should, and might do in the face of a grim budget reality.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 36 executive producers—Tyler, Pat from KC, Brad, Theo and Violet, Matt, Fred, Robb, Simon, Dawn Aerospace, SmallSpark Space Systems, Moritz, Donald, Frank, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut), Kris, Harrison, Chris, Joel, Jan, Russell, Pat, Benjamin, David, Lee, Bob, Joonas, Lars from Agile Space, Stealth Julian, Steve, The Astrogators at SEE, Warren, Ryan—and 842 other supporters.

Topics

• NASA Selects Blue Origin as Second Artemis Lunar Lander Provider | NASA
• NASA awards Blue Origin $3.4 billion Artemis moon lander contract – Spaceflight Now
• NASA selects Blue Origin to develop second Artemis lunar lander - SpaceNews
• NASA’s Artemis program may face a budget crunch as costs continue to rise | Ars Technica
• A new report finds NASA has spent an obscene amount of money on SLS propulsion | Ars Technica
• At long last, the glorious future we were promised in space is on the way | Ars Technica
• NASA’s Selection of the Blue Moon Lander for Artemis V | Selenian Boondocks

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
• Artwork photo by SpaceX
• Work with me and my design and development agency: Pine Works

Live from the Redwire booth at Space Symposium 2023! I discuss the business and finance side of spaceflight, with Caleb Henry (Quilty Space), Peter Beck (Rocket Lab), and Jonathan Baliff (CFO, Redwire).

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 36 executive producers—Pat, Fred, Robb, Steve, Dawn Aerospace, Matt, Theo and Violet, Bob, Benjamin, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut), Donald, Lee, Pat from KC, Warren, Tyler, David, Jan, Chris, Stealth Julian, The Astrogators at SEE, SmallSpark Space Systems, Kris, Ryan, Moritz, Russell, Harrison, Lars from Agile Space, Simon, Frank, Brad, Joel, Joonas—and 845 other supporters.

Topics

• Finance and Business Strategy - YouTube
• Caleb Henry (@ChenrySpace) / Twitter
• Quilty Space (@QuiltySpace) / Twitter
• Peter Beck (@Peter_J_Beck) / Twitter

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
• Artwork photo by SpaceX
• Work with me and my design and development agency: Pine Works

Live from the Redwire booth at Space Symposium 2023! I discuss the commercialization effort of LEO and the Moon with Angela T. Hart (Manager, Commercial Low Earth Orbit Program Office, NASA), Dr. Molly Mulligan (Business Development, Redwire), Jana Spruce (VP of Spacecraft, Firefly), and Kevin Foley (Program Director, Commercial Space Projects, Boeing).

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 36 executive producers—Bob, Frank, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut), Harrison, Russell, Robb, Joel, Benjamin, Donald, Kris, Brad, Tyler, Simon, Jan, Moritz, Ryan, Dawn Aerospace, Pat, Lee, Fred, Matt, David, Warren, Theo and Violet, Lars from Agile Space, Pat from KC, Steve, Joonas, Chris, SmallSpark Space Systems, Stealth Julian, The Astrogators at SEE—and 845 other supporters.

Topics

• Commercialization of LEO and Lunar - YouTube

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
• Artwork photo by SpaceX
• Work with me and my design and development agency: Pine Works

Live from the Redwire booth at Space Symposium 2023! I discuss news, announcements, and happenings from the conference, then talk with a trio of drop-in guests: Sean Bedford (Director of Business Development, Astrobotic), Mike DeRosa (Co-Founder & CMO, Gravitics), and Jason Hopkins (Vice President of Strategy and Business Development, Crescent Space).

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 36 executive producers—SmallSpark Space Systems, Matt, Donald, Jan, Robb, Bob, Kris, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut), Warren, Russell, Stealth Julian, Harrison, Lee, Ryan, Frank, Steve, Chris, Benjamin, The Astrogators at SEE, Fred, Tyler, Theo and Violet, Simon, Dawn Aerospace, Joonas, Joel, David, Lars from Agile Space, Brad, Pat from KC, Pat, Moritz—and 845 other supporters.

Topics

• A Classic Main Engine Cut Off - YouTube
• Rocket Lab Introduces Suborbital Testbed Rocket, Selected for Hypersonic Test Flights | Rocket Lab
• Rocket Lab to refly Electron engine - SpaceNews
• Leidos working with NASCAR on Artemis lunar rover - SpaceNews
• Astrolab to send rover to the moon on SpaceX’s Starship - SpaceNews
• Terrestrial Landers | Masten Space Systems
• Gravitics
• Crescent Space | Home

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
• Artwork photo by John Kraus for Relativity
• Work with me and my design and development agency: Pine Works

Live from the Redwire booth at Space Symposium 2023! I discuss current space policy topics with Lori Garver (former Deputy Administrator of NASA), and Karina Drees (President, Commercial Spaceflight Federation).

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 36 executive producers—Steve, SmallSpark Space Systems, Pat from KC, Matt, Chris, Tyler, Bob, Harrison, Ryan, Frank, Simon, Dawn Aerospace, Benjamin, Lee, Pat, Russell, The Astrogators at SEE, Moritz, Kris, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut), Stealth Julian, Donald, David, Brad, Warren, Robb, Joonas, Theo and Violet, Lars from Agile Space, Fred, Jan, Joel—and 845 other supporters.

Topics

• Space Policy - YouTube
• Lori Garver
• Lori Garver (@Lori_Garver) / Twitter
• Escaping Gravity: My Quest to Transform NASA and Launch a New Space Age: Garver, Lori, Isaacson, Walter - Amazon.com: Books
• Escaping Gravity by Lori Garver | Audiobook | Audible.com
• Karina Drees (@karina_drees) / Twitter
• Commercial Spaceflight Federation (@csf_spaceflight) / Twitter
• Commercial Spaceflight Federation

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
• Artwork photo by John Kraus for Relativity
• Work with me and my design and development agency: Pine Works

Live from the Redwire booth at Space Symposium 2023! I talk about the state and future of international partnerships in space with Mike Gold (Chief Growth Officer, Redwire) Masami Onoda (Director of Washington, DC Office, JAXA), and Josh Wolny (Foreign Affairs Officer, US Department of State).

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 36 executive producers—Fred, Joonas, SmallSpark Space Systems, Ryan, Frank, David, Donald, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut), Matt, Dawn Aerospace, Pat, Simon, Kris, Lee, Steve, Lars from Agile Space, Brad, Stealth Julian, Warren, Bob, Theo and Violet, Harrison, Robb, Jan, Tyler, Joel, Benjamin, Pat from KC, Russell, Chris, The Astrogators at SEE, Moritz—and 845 other supporters.

Topics

• International Partnerships - YouTube

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
• Artwork photo by John Kraus for Relativity
• Work with me and my design and development agency: Pine Works

Starship finally(?) flew its first test flight! Jake Robins of Off-Nominal joins me to sort through our thoughts on how it went (it was janky), what’s next for Starship, and to try and figure out if SpaceX wasted more steel or time this week.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 36 executive producers—Tyler, Pat from KC, Brad, Theo and Violet, Matt, Fred, Robb, Simon, Dawn Aerospace, SmallSpark Space Systems, Moritz, Donald, Frank, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut), Kris, Harrison, Chris, Joel, Jan, Russell, Pat, Benjamin, David, Lee, Bob, Joonas, Lars from Agile Space, Stealth Julian, Steve, The Astrogators at SEE, Warren, Ryan—and 843 other supporters.

Topics

• Jake Robins (@JakeOnOrbit) / Twitter
• Starship Flight Test - YouTube
• SpaceX on Twitter: “Liftoff from Starbase”
• Starship lifts off on first integrated test flight, breaks apart minutes later - SpaceNews
• Off-Nominal
• Off-Nominal - YouTube
• Episode 104 - Ricky Bobby Goes to the Moon (Live from Space Symposium 2023) - Off-Nominal
• Episode 95 - Horsesh - Off-Nominal
• Episode 89 - The Final Year - Off-Nominal
• Episode 88 - But, Nonetheless - Off-Nominal
• Episode 76 - Walter Cronkite was Faking It - Off-Nominal

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
• Artwork photo by John Kraus for Relativity

After an unsuccessful first flight of Terran 1, Relativity has announced that they’ve moved on to a newly-redesigned Terran R. Overall I think this a good direction, but there are some serious questions to be asked of and headwinds to be managed by Relativity.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 35 executive producers—Warren, Lars from Agile Space, Donald, Lee, Andrew, Russell, Joel, Ryan, Jan, SmallSpark Space Systems, Bob, Steve, Matt, David, The Astrogators at SEE, Simon, Tyler, Pat, Moritz, Stealth Julian, Benjamin, Robb, Frank, Dawn Aerospace, Fred, Pat from KC, Theo and Violet, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Joonas, Kris, Chris, and four anonymous—and 836 other supporters.

MECO Live at Space Symposium 2023! On April 18 and 19, I’ll be hosting several live shows—my first ever!—at the Redwire booth at the 38th Annual Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Redwire will be hosting a whole set of events on the stage at their booth, including 5 episodes of MECO and an Off-Nominal at happy hour.

Find me at the Redwire booth (#1374). Come say hi and catch a show!

Topics

• Live at Space Symposium 2023! - Main Engine Cut Off
• Redwire Announces Live Event with Main Engine Cut Off Podcast, Previews Full Schedule of Activities at Space Symposium 2023 | Redwire Space
• T+182: Rocket Lab Neutron, Relativity Terran R - Main Engine Cut Off
• Relativity Space - Terran R
• Relativity Space is moving on from the Terran 1 rocket to something much bigger | Ars Technica
• Relativity shelves Terran 1 after one launch, redesigns Terran R - SpaceNews

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
• Artwork photo by John Kraus for Relativity

Stefan Powell, CEO of Dawn Aerospace, joins me to talk about their big news announced today: last week, they completed three rocket-powered flights of their Mk-II Aurora spaceplane in 3 consecutive days. We talk about that achievement, what the company is up to overall, what their vision and plans are for the future, and how they’re approaching the market in a unique way.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 34 executive producers—Benjamin, Ryan, Joel, Jorge, Andrew, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Russell, Donald, Frank, Joonas, Robb, The Astrogators at SEE, Simon, Lars from Agile Space, David, Fred, Warren, Pat, Pat from KC, Moritz, Steve, Tyler, Kris, Chris, Bob, Lee, Dawn Aerospace, Theo and Violet, Jan, Matt, SmallSpark Space Systems, and four anonymous—and 828 other supporters.

Topics

• Dawn Aerospace
• Dawn Mk-II Aurora — Dawn Aerospace
• Rocket-powered spaceplane takes flight — Dawn Aerospace
• Successful Rocket-Powered Flight - CEO Statement. — Dawn Aerospace
• Certified and Ready for Rocket-Powered Flight — Dawn Aerospace
• Transitioning space propulsion to a nitrous-based industry standard — Dawn Aerospace
• Lynk selects Dawn Aerospace propulsion following an extensive industry trade study — Dawn Aerospace

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
• Artwork photo by SpaceX

I share some big news about MECO and Off-Nominal live at Space Symposium 2023, and then dive into some recent launch stories: Relativity’s first flight of Terran 1, and Virgin Orbit nearing its end.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 35 executive producers—Benjamin, Ryan, Joel, Jorge, Andrew, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Russell, Donald, Frank, Joonas, Robb, The Astrogators at SEE, Simon, Lars from Agile Space, David, Fred, Warren, Pat, Pat from KC, Moritz, Steve, Tyler, Kris, Chris, Bob, Lee, Dawn Aerospace, Theo and Violet, Jan, Matt, SmallSpark Space Systems, and four anonymous—and 831 other supporters.

MECO Live at Space Symposium 2023! On April 18 and 19, I’ll be hosting several live shows—my first ever!—at the Redwire booth at the 38th Annual Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Redwire will be hosting a whole set of events on the stage at their booth, including 5 episodes of MECO and an Off-Nominal at happy hour.

Find me at the Redwire booth (#1374). Come say hi and catch a show!

Topics

• Live at Space Symposium 2023! - Main Engine Cut Off
• Redwire Announces Live Event with Main Engine Cut Off Podcast, Previews Full Schedule of Activities at Space Symposium 2023 | Redwire Space
• Virgin Orbit lays off most employees - SpaceNews
• T+169: Commercial Small Launcher Updates - Main Engine Cut Off
• Relativity Space has a successful failure with the debut of Terran 1 | Ars Technica
• Relativity launches first Terran 1 - SpaceNews
• Tim Ellis on Twitter: “Achieved 100% power on Aeon R thrust chamber assembly testing today, 💯 258,000 pounds of thrust.”
• Relativity Space on Twitter: “Listen to our customers’ responses to launch. Terran 1 has already served us exceedingly well as a pathfinder product for Terran R, our medium to heavy-life reusable rocket.”
• With eyes on reuse, Relativity plans rapid transition to Terran R engines | Ars Technica

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
• Artwork photo by SpaceX

Casey Dreier of The Planetary Society joins me to talk about the NASA FY2024 budget request and what it means for Artemis, the ISS, and planetary science.

Correction: At some point in the show, we said DAVINCI is managed out of APL, but it’s actually run out of Goddard. Sorry, Maryland!

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 35 executive producers—Pat, Joonas, Bob, The Astrogators at SEE, Fred, David, Kris, Joel, Dawn Aerospace, Jan, Matt, Robb, Warren, SmallSpark Space Systems, Frank, Ryan, Lars from Agile Space, Donald, Moritz, Simon, Theo and Violet, Benjamin, Chris, Pat from KC, Russell, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Steve, Jorge, Andrew, Lee, Tyler, and four anonymous—and 831 other supporters.

Topics

• Casey Dreier (@CaseyDreier) / Twitter
• Casey Dreier | The Planetary Society
• The Planetary Society
• Planetary Society (@exploreplanets) / Twitter
• T+235: Artemis I, 2022 Midterms (with Casey Dreier) - Main Engine Cut Off
• President’s Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Strengthens NASA, Space Economy | NASA
• NASA's FY 2024 Budget | The Planetary Society
• The Planetary Society Welcomes Continued… | The Planetary Society
• Casey Dreier on Twitter: “Here is the ugly truth in the NASA budget proposal”
• Biden Requests Another Big Increase for NASA, Wants Space Tug to Deorbit ISS – SpacePolicyOnline.com
• The Space Station Decision | Hopkins Press

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
• Artwork photo by SpaceX

Eric Berger has three sources saying United Launch Alliance is being shopped around the market right now, so I kick around some thoughts on who may buy ULA, if an offer comes to fruition.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 35 executive producers—Matt, Russell, Pat, Warren, Lee, Kris, Frank, Joel, Lars from Agile Space, Jorge, Benjamin, Pat from KC, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Moritz, Steve, Joonas, Tyler, Bob, Dawn Aerospace, Robb, Theo and Violet, The Astrogators at SEE, David, Chris, Fred, Simon, Andrew, Jan, Donald, SmallSpark Space Systems, Ryan, and four anonymous—and 821 other supporters.

Topics

• Sources say prominent US rocket-maker United Launch Alliance is up for sale | Ars Technica
• Eric Berger on Twitter: “I've spoken with a lot of people about this in recent days, and the general consensus is that the favorites might be Lockheed or L3 Harris, followed by a Jeff Bezos company, followed by private equity. It will be some time before we know, probably.”
• L3Harris to Acquire Aerojet Rocketdyne | L3Harris® Fast. Forward.
• Aerojet Rocketdyne Makes $2B Offer for United Launch Alliance - SpaceNews

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
• Artwork photo by SpaceX

The Space Force rolled out the draft RFP for Phase 3 of the National Security Space Launch program, and it looks pretty good! Elsewhere, NASA selected New Glenn to launch ESCAPADE in 2024, so I check in on the state of things over at Blue Origin—as always, it’s about the engines.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 44 executive producers—Simon, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian, Lars from Agile Space, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Fred, Dawn Aerospace, Andrew, Harrison, Benjamin, SmallSpark Space Systems, Tyler, Steve, Theo and Violet, Pat from KC and seven anonymous—and 821 other supporters.

Topics

• Space Force to change how it buys national security launches - SpaceNews
• Space Force looks to energize industry with next round of launch contracts - SpaceNews
• Space Force Reimagining Launch Service Procurement – SpacePolicyOnline.com
• National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 3 DRAFT Request for Proposals (RFPs) #1 and Industry Day - SAM.gov
• T+236: SpaceX Starshield, NSSL Phase 3 - Main Engine Cut Off
• Eric Berger on Twitter: “Col. Douglas Pentecost of the US Air Force says the military recently signed a "three-flight" option with Blue Origin for certification of the New Glenn rocket. This means three flights, but less data than ULA had to provide for a two-flight certification.”
• Gallery | Blue Origin
• NASA Selects Blue Origin to Launch Mars’ Magnetosphere Study Mission | NASA
• Blue Origin wins first NASA business for New Glenn - SpaceNews
• After Vulcan comes online, ULA plans to dramatically increase launch cadence | Ars Technica

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
• Artwork photo by SpaceX

Lori Garver, former NASA Deputy Administrator, joins me to talk about a whole host of space policy topics, including Artemis and lunar politics, the legacies of Commercial Cargo and Crew, the status of Commercial LEO Destinations, and also Lance Bass.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 42 executive producers—Simon, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian, Lars from Agile Space, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Fred, Dawn Aerospace, Andrew, Harrison, Benjamin, SmallSpark Space Systems, Tyler, Steve, Theo and Violet, and seven anonymous—and 814 other supporters.

Topics

• Lori Garver
• Lori Garver (@Lori_Garver) / Twitter
• Episode 66 - My Next One is “Fiction” - Off-Nominal
• Escaping Gravity: My Quest to Transform NASA and Launch a New Space Age: Garver, Lori, Isaacson, Walter - Amazon.com: Books
• Escaping Gravity by Lori Garver | Audiobook | Audible.com
• Lance Bass To Host Space History Podcast Series ‘The Last Soviet’ – Deadline
• Brooke Owens Fellowship
• Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program
• Patti Grace Smith Fellowship

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
• Artwork photo by SpaceX

Caleb Henry of Quilty Analytics and I took a trip down to Wallops Island to watch Rocket Lab’s first Electron launch from the US. Listen to our conversation on the drive down to Virginia, a bit of me at the press site before launch, and the launch itself in wonderful stereo audio.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 43 executive producers—Simon, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian, Lars from Agile Space, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, Andrew, Harrison, Benjamin, SmallSpark Space Systems, Tyler, Steve, Theo and Violet, and seven anonymous—and 826 other supporters.

Topics

• Twitter thread of our trip
• Main Engine Cut Off, Spacey Space: “Pretty great day trip down to Wallops to see the Rocket Lab flight! Electron really has a kick, I was impressed. Beautiful and delicate second stage plume, too. A+++++ would do again.”
• Caleb Henry (@CHenry_QA) / Twitter
• Quilty Analytics (@QuiltyAnalytics) / Twitter
• Quilty Analytics
• Rocket Lab Debut Launch from LC-2 - 'Virginia Is For Launch Lovers' - YouTube
• Rocket Lab Successfully Launches First Electron Mission from U.S. Soil | Rocket Lab
• Rocket Lab launches first Electron from Virginia - SpaceNews

The Show

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• Artwork photo by SpaceX

Virgin Orbit’s first launch from the UK ended in failure, putting them in an even more precarious financial position. And on the other side of the North Pole, ABL’s first launch attempt ended in failure right on the launch pad in Alaska.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 43 executive producers—Simon, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian, Lars from Agile Space, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, Andrew, Harrison, Benjamin, SmallSpark Space Systems, Tyler, Steve, Theo and Violet, and seven anonymous—and 817 other supporters.

Topics

• First Virgin Orbit U.K. launch fails - SpaceNews
• Even before Monday’s launch failure, Virgin Orbit’s finances were dismal | Ars Technica
• First launch by ABL Space Systems fails shortly after liftoff – Spaceflight Now

The Show

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SpaceX rolled out Starshield, a new, Starlink-inspired (derived?) offering for national security space systems. And I have some thoughts on the upcoming National Security Space Launch Phase 3 contracting setup.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 42 executive producers—Simon, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian, Lars from Agile Space, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, Andrew, Harrison, Benjamin, SmallSpark Space Systems, Tyler, Steve, and seven anonymous—and 815 other supporters.

Topics

• SpaceX - Starshield
• SpaceX rolls out new business line focused on military satellite services - SpaceNews
• USA 320, ..., 323, 328, ..., 331 - Gunter's Space Page
• SpaceX launches Globalstar satellite on mysterious Falcon 9 mission - NASASpaceFlight.com
• Lockheed Martin, York Space to produce 20 satellites for Space Development Agency - SpaceNews
• SDA Awards Contracts for the First Generation of the Tracking Layer – Space Development Agency
• Space Development Agency Makes Awards for 28 Satellites to Build Tranche 1 Tracking Layer > U.S. Department of Defense > Release
• Draft solicitation for national security space launch services expected in early 2023 - SpaceNews
• Tory Bruno: DoD should ‘block buy’ heavy launch services as supply is tight  - SpaceNews
• ABL, Astra, Relativity selected to compete for U.S. Space Force responsive launch contracts - SpaceNews

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
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Casey Dreier of The Planetary Society joins me to talk about Artemis I, where the Artemis program goes from here, and what the 2022 midterm elections mean for space.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 44 executive producers—Simon, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian, Lars from Agile Space, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, Andrew, Harrison, Benjamin, SmallSpark Space Systems, Tyler, Sean & Daniel Hart, Steve, and seven anonymous—and 831 other supporters.

Topics

• Casey Dreier (@CaseyDreier) / Twitter
• Casey Dreier | The Planetary Society
• The Planetary Society
• Planetary Society (@exploreplanets) / Twitter
• NASA’s Artemis I mission has successfully… | The Planetary Society
• Why we have the SLS | The Planetary Society
• Artemis I | Flickr
• What the 2022 midterm elections mean for NASA | The Planetary Society
• So long Senator Shelby: Key architect of SLS rocket won’t seek reelection | Ars Technica

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
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The crew of Polaris Dawn—Scott “Kidd” Poteet, Sarah Gillis, and Anna Menon—join me to talk about the mission and its operations, their preparation and training so far, how their roles on past missions play into their role on this one, what they are learning and bringing back to their day-to-day roles, and what they’re excited about as they get ready to fly next year.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 43 executive producers—Simon, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian, Lars from Agile Space, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, Andrew, Harrison, Benjamin, SmallSpark Space Systems, Tyler, Sean & Daniel Hart, and seven anonymous—and 844 other supporters.

Topics

• T+233: Jared Isaacman, Polaris Program - Main Engine Cut Off
• Polaris Dawn
• Team - Polaris Program
• Centrifuge and hypoxia symptoms training - Polaris Program
• Polaris Dawn Selects 38 Science and Research Experiments to Advance Human Health and Space Exploration - Polaris Program
• Polaris on Twitter: “Our teams visited White Sands Test Facility to observe how EVA suit materials behave after being struck by micrometeorites or orbital debris, an important part of developing the spacesuits the Polaris Dawn crew will wear during the mission’s spacewalk”
• Off-Nominal Happy Hour - Dec 9, 2021 (with John Kraus) - YouTube

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
• Artwork photo by ULA

Jared Isaacman of the Polaris Program joins me to talk about how the program began, how it’s envisioned, how they choose what to take on and solve, how they interact with SpaceX, and why he’s chosen to contribute to spaceflight in this way.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 43 executive producers—Simon, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian, Lars from Agile Space, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, Andrew, Harrison, Benjamin, SmallSpark Space Systems, Tyler, Sean & Daniel Hart, and seven anonymous—and 841 other supporters.

Topics

• Polaris Program
• Polaris Dawn
• Inspiration4 - Home
• Centrifuge and hypoxia symptoms training - Polaris Program
• Polaris Dawn Selects 38 Science and Research Experiments to Advance Human Health and Space Exploration - Polaris Program
• Polaris on Twitter: “Our teams visited White Sands Test Facility to observe how EVA suit materials behave after being struck by micrometeorites or orbital debris, an important part of developing the spacesuits the Polaris Dawn crew will wear during the mission’s spacewalk”

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
• Artwork photo by ULA

Last week, I took a visit to Pittsburgh to visit Astrobotic, who is working on a few different landers and rovers destined for the Moon. I got to sit down with several team members for a series of conversations about what they’re working on, how things are going, and how the company is approaching the next few years in the industry.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 43 executive producers—Simon, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian, Lars from Agile Space, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, Andrew, Harrison, Benjamin, SmallSpark Space Systems, Tyler, nomadic, and seven anonymous—and 837 other supporters.

Topics

• Pittsburgh Aerospace Company | Astrobotic Technology
• Moon Manifest | Astrobotic Technology
• Astrobotic Unveils Peregrine Lunar Lander Flight Model | Astrobotic Technology
• Announcing LunaGrid, a Commercial Power Service for the Moon | Astrobotic Technology
• CubeRover Funded for Survive the Lunar Night Mission | Astrobotic Technology
• Astrobotic’s Wireless Charging System for the Moon Can Survive Lunar Night | Astrobotic Technology
• Astrobotic Acquires Masten Space Systems | Astrobotic Technology
• T+88: CubeRover, Michael Provenzano and Andrew Horchler - Main Engine Cut Off
• T+166: Laura Klicker and Daniel Gillies, Astrobotic - Main Engine Cut Off

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In the wake of Axiom-1, NASA has revised the requirements for future Private Astronaut Missions. It seems to put pressure on the market to focus on a certain customer base, like research and national astronauts, and it definitely changes the math for future flights.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 43 executive producers—Simon, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian, Lars from Agile Space, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, Andrew, Harrison, Benjamin, SmallSpark Space Systems, Schultzy, Tyler, and seven anonymous—and 848 other supporters.

Topics

• NASA revises requirements for ISS private astronaut missions - SpaceNews
• NASA division proposing program to send scientists to ISS - SpaceNews
• NASA, Axiom Sign Second Private Astronaut Mission to Space Station Order | NASA
• NASA requests proposals for two ISS private astronaut missions - SpaceNews
• Axiom Space to fly Saudi astronauts - SpaceNews

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
• Artwork photo by NASA/Joel Kowsky

Bob Pearce, Associate Administrator of NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, joins me to talk about Aeronautics at NASA. We talk about how the directorate fits into the agency overall, how they develop its strategic direction, how they choose which projects to take on, how they transfer technology to industry, what they’re working on right now, and what they’ll tackle in the future.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 42 executive producers—Simon, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, Andrew, Harrison, Benjamin, SmallSpark Space Systems, Schultzy, and seven anonymous—and 844 other supporters.

Topics

• Mr. Robert A. Pearce, Associate Administrator | NASA
• Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate | NASA
• Armstrong Flight Research Center | NASA
• Ames Research Center | NASA
• Glenn Research Center | NASA
• Langley Research Center | NASA
• NASA Armstrong Fact Sheet: F-8 Supercritical Wing | NASA
• NASA Helps Create a More Silent Night | NASA
• Quesst | NASA
• Electric Propulsion Airplane | NASA
• Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) | NASA
• Airspace Operations and Safety Program | NASA
• What is Unmanned Aircraft Systems Traffic Management? | NASA
• Sustainable Flight Demonstrator Project | NASA

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
• Artwork photo by NASA/Joel Kowsky

Richard Parker, Head of Space at Canopius, and John Farnsworth, insurance broker and space advocate, join me to talk about the (seemingly) most mysterious topic in spaceflight: insurance!

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 42 executive producers—Simon, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, Andrew, Harrison, Benjamin, SmallSpark Space Systems, Schultzy, and seven anonymous—and 835 other supporters.

Topics

• Canopius global specialty (re)insurance
• Measat gives up on drifting satellite in a blow for insurers - SpaceNews
• Insurance claim for failed Measat-3 satellite in dispute - SpaceNews
• The Space Review: Boldly insure where no one has gone
• OneWeb takes $229 million charge for canceled Soyuz launches - SpaceNews
• Starlink’s head of India resigns as SpaceX refunds preorders - SpaceNews

The Show

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• Artwork photo by NASA/Joel Kowsky

Artemis I scrubbed its way through its first and second launch attempts, and is now undergoing repairs on the pad, ahead of its next launch attempt. I talk about the initial attempts, general thoughts on where we’re at with this program, where it’s headed in the future, and what public reactions to Artemis I have been.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 43 executive producers—Simon, Lauren, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, Andrew, Harrison, Benjamin, SmallSpark Space Systems, Schultzy, and seven anonymous—and 826 other supporters.

Topics

• First Artemis 1 launch attempt scrubbed - SpaceNews
• Second Artemis 1 launch attempt scrubbed - SpaceNews
• NASA to repair SLS liquid hydrogen leak on the pad - SpaceNews
• NASA officials evaluating late September launch dates for Artemis 1 moon mission – Spaceflight Now
• Spaceflight Now on Twitter: “Here’s a NASA photo of the temporary enclosure assembled at the base of the Space Launch System moon rocket, providing environmental protection as workers replace seals on liquid hydrogen connections between the rocket and the launch platform.”

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
• Artwork photo by NASA/Joel Kowsky

Jonathan Barlow from the NASA Ames Research Center joins me to talk about Astrobee—the free-flying robots on the International Space Station that test new technologies, sensors, and operations, and assist astronauts and mission controllers alike. Jonathan is the Astrobee Lead Engineer and has been with the program since the beginning, so we go way back to its origins and talk in-depth about what the robots are up to today on the ISS.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 43 executive producers—Simon, Lauren, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, Andrew, Harrison, Benjamin, SmallSpark Space Systems, Schultzy, and seven anonymous—and 818 other supporters.

Topics

• What is Astrobee? | NASA
• Astrobee - Four Years in Video | NASA Image and Video Library
• NASA Celebrates Three Years of Astrobees Buzzing on Space Station | NASA
• Meet ISAAC, Integrating Robots with the Space Stations of the Future | NASA
• Astrobee Space-Bots Mark a New Milestone in Human-Robot Teamwork | NASA
• NPS, NASA Team Up on “Astrobatics” Project to Advance Spacecraft Robotics - Naval Postgraduate School
• Artemis 1 Launch Events - Off-Nominal

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
• Artwork photo by ESA

Northrop Grumman and Firefly announced a partnership to develop a new first stage for Antares—the same first stage that will power Firefly’s larger launch vehicle, Beta. It’s a great partnership for both parties that will surely lead to more interesting things in the future.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 42 executive producers—Simon, Lauren, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, Andrew, Harrison, Benjamin, SmallSpark Space Systems, and seven anonymous—and 816 other supporters.

Topics

• Northrop Grumman Teams with Firefly Aerospace to Develop Antares Rocket Upgrade and New Medium Launch Vehicle | Northrop Grumman
• Northrop Grumman and Firefly to partner on upgraded Antares - SpaceNews
• Beta - Firefly Aerospace
• Stephen Clark on Twitter: “Northrop Grumman's Kurt Eberly says the company has booked three Falcon 9 missions with SpaceX, beginning in the second half of 2023, to launch Cygnus resupply missions to the International Space Station. Northrop hopes to have upgraded Antares 330 ready by end of 2024.”
• Firefly partners with Aerojet Rocketdyne, mulls AR1 engine for Beta launch vehicle - SpaceNews
• AE Industrial Partners to acquire stake in Firefly from Noosphere - SpaceNews
• Firefly co-founder Markusic to step down as CEO - SpaceNews

The Show

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• Artwork photo by ESA

Mike Loucks and John Carrico of Space Exploration Engineering join me to talk about astrogation, mission planning, missions they’ve worked on, how they interact with teams of all types, and everything else they do at SEE.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 42 executive producers—Simon, Lauren, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, Andrew, Harrison, Benjamin, SmallSpark Space Systems, and seven anonymous—and 811 other supporters.

Topics

• Space Exploration Engineering
• Space Exploration Engineering (@SEE_Aerospace) / Twitter
• Mike Loucks (@Astrogator_Mike) / Twitter
• Astrogator John (@AstrogatorJohn) / Twitter
• Rocket Lab’s CAPSTONE injection profile comes from SEE’s broad experience in cislunar space | The Astrogator's Guild

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
• Artwork photo by ESA

Rick Mastracchio, former NASA astronaut and current Director Of Business Development at Northrop Grumman Space Systems, joins me to talk about Northrop Grumman’s Commercial Space Station concept that they are working on as part of NASA’s Commercial LEO Destinations program.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 42 executive producers—Simon, Lauren, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, Andrew, Harrison, Benjamin, SmallSpark Space Systems, and seven anonymous—and 807 other supporters.

Topics

• Commercial Space Station - Northrop Grumman
• Commercial Space Station Data Sheet - Northrop Grumman
• NASA Selects Companies to Develop Commercial Destinations in Space | NASA
• A Closer Look at Northrop Grumman Commercial Space Station – Parabolic Arc

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
• Artwork photo by ESA

NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program is in a tricky spot right now. VIPER has been delayed a year, new task orders are being awarded to new teams like the one led by Draper, and Masten is all but dead.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 41 executive producers—Simon, Lauren, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, Andrew, Harrison, Benjamin, and seven anonymous—and 810 other supporters.

Topics

• Commercial Lunar Payload Services | NASA
• NASA delays VIPER lunar rover launch by a year - SpaceNews
• WeMartians Podcast on Twitter: “I feel like maybe VIPER was rushed on to CLPS to give it some credibility. But now it’s two years behind schedule because NASA has changed the design, and the total cost is $433M. We’re not that far off from a Discovery-class mission at this rate.”
• Cash-strapped Masten Space Furloughs Employees, Moon Landing Mission at Risk – Parabolic Arc
• NASA Selects Draper to Fly Research to Far Side of Moon | NASA
• Draper wins NASA contract for farside lunar lander mission - SpaceNews

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
• Artwork photo by ESA/JAXA

Some thoughts on where we are now that Dmitry Rogozin has been dismissed as head of Roscosmos, and that NASA and Roscosmos have signed a seat exchange agreement for future flights to the ISS.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 41 executive producers—Simon, Lauren, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, Andrew, Harrison, Benjamin, and seven anonymous—and 805 other supporters.

Topics

• Rogozin Out, Seat Swaps In – SpacePolicyOnline.com
• The trampoline is now international: NASA and Roscosmos agree to seat swap | Ars Technica
• Parabolicarc.com on Twitter: “A little late to this, but my guess is Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov is being shunted off to Roscomos due to poor performance in Ukraine of the military industrial complex he oversaw. Putin periodically says nice things about space program but really doesn't seem to care.”

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
• Artwork photo by ESA/JAXA

Our good friend Jake Robins, host of WeMartians and my cohost on Off-Nominal, joins me to talk about Psyche missing its launch window, the state of the SIMPLEx program, its troubles with launch slots, and how NASA might approach this in the future.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 41 executive producers—Simon, Lauren, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, Andrew, Harrison, Benjamin, and seven anonymous—and 813 other supporters.

Topics

• WeMartians Podcast
• 124 - The Future of the Mars Program (feat. Scott Hubbard)
• Jake Robins | Patreon
• WeMartians Podcast (@We_Martians) / Twitter
• Jake Robins (@JakeOnOrbit) / Twitter
• Off-Nominal
• NASA Announces Launch Delay for Psyche Asteroid Mission | NASA
• Software testing problem delays Psyche launch - SpaceNews
• Psyche launch delay forcing revamp of rideshare mission - SpaceNews
• NASA SOMA: SIMPLEx- Homepage
• NASA Mars smallsat mission passes review - SpaceNews
• NASA moves up Lunar Trailblazer launch - SpaceNews

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
• Artwork photo by ESA/JAXA

Eric Berger of Ars Technica joins me to talk about the Artemis Program’s space suits, expensive launch sites, maybe-cheaper-but-at-least-not-as-delayed launch sites, vehicles, and its manifest over the next decade. Plus, a few bonus topics like Astra, Firefly, and Lori Garver’s new book.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 42 executive producers—Simon, Lauren, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, Andrew, Harrison, Benjamin, and seven anonymous—and 804 other supporters.

Topics

• Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) / Twitter
• Eric Berger | Ars Technica
• NASA Partners with Industry for New Spacewalking, Moonwalking Services | NASA
• NASA chooses two companies to build spacesuits for its 21st-century Moonwalkers | Ars Technica
• After years of futility, NASA turns to private sector for spacesuit help | Ars Technica
• NASA’s second mobile launcher is too heavy, years late, and pushing $1 billion | Ars Technica
• Artemis II Engine Section Moves to Final Assembly | NASA
• FAA Requires SpaceX to Take Over 75 Actions to Mitigate Environmental Impact of Planned Starship/Super Heavy Launches | Federal Aviation Administration
• Eric Berger on Twitter: “Another Astra second stage failure today with Rocket 3. Overall the company is now 2 of 7 in orbital launch attempts, with 2 of the last 4 being successful.”
• After 9 difficult months, Firefly is set to take its next shot at orbit | Ars Technica
• Eric Berger on Twitter: “Effective tomorrow, Tom Markusic will no longer be CEO of Firefly. Move comes three months after major investment in the company by AEI.”
• Episode 66 - My Next One is “Fiction” - Off-Nominal
• Escaping Gravity: My Quest to Transform NASA and Launch a New Space Age: Garver, Lori, Isaacson, Walter: 9781635767704: Amazon.com: Books

The Show

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• Artwork photo by NASA

SpaceX’s plans for launching Starship to orbit from Boca Chica cleared an environmental review with the FAA, but more than 75 mitigations are required in order to receive a launch license to carry out flights in the future.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 41 executive producers—Simon, Lauren, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, Andrew, Harrison, and seven anonymous—and 799 other supporters.

Topics

• FAA Requires SpaceX to Take Over 75 Actions to Mitigate Environmental Impact of Planned Starship/Super Heavy Launches | Federal Aviation Administration
• SpaceX on Twitter: “One step closer to the first orbital flight test of Starship”
• FAA environmental review to allow Starship orbital launches after changes - SpaceNews
• FAA moves SpaceX a step closer to receiving Starship launch license – Spaceflight Now

The Show

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Boeing completed Starliner’s long-awaited Orbital Flight Test-2 mission to the ISS, but about a week after landing, NASA announced its intent to buy more Dragon flights from SpaceX.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 41 executive producers—Simon, Lauren, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, Andrew, Harrison, and seven anonymous—and 792 other supporters.

Topics

• NASA, Boeing Complete Starliner Uncrewed Flight Test to Space Station | NASA
• Boeing’s Starliner capsule completes first “nail-biting” docking at space station – Spaceflight Now
• Starliner concludes OFT-2 test flight with landing in New Mexico - SpaceNews
• NASA to buy five additional Crew Dragon flights - SpaceNews
• NASA Selects Companies to Develop Commercial Destinations in Space | NASA
• T+216: Orbital Reef, with Brent Sherwood (SVP of Advanced Development Programs at Blue Origin) - Main Engine Cut Off
• T+208: The Polaris Program - Main Engine Cut Off
• T+203: Starlab with Marshall Smith, SVP of Space Systems at Nanoracks - Main Engine Cut Off

The Show

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Mike Gold, Executive Vice President of Civil Space Business Development and External Affairs at Redwire, joins me to talk about his previous role at NASA, where he served as Associate Administrator for Space Policy and Partnerships, and was the driving influence behind the Artemis Accords.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 41 executive producers—Simon, Lauren, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, Andrew, Harrison, and seven anonymous—and 795 other supporters.

Topics

• NASA Artemis Accords
• Mike Gold, Former Assoc. Admin. for Space Policy and Partnerships | NASA
• Space Industry Leader Mike Gold Joins Redwire as Executive Vice President of Civil Space Business Development and External Affairs | Redwire Space
• Redwire Space | Heritage + Innovation
• Bahrain joins Artemis Accords - SpaceNews
• Colombia signs Artemis Accords - SpaceNews
• Star Trek: 3 ways it inspired NASA's Artemis Accords

The Show

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• Artwork photo by NASA/Joel Kowsky

Brent Sherwood, Senior Vice President of Advanced Development Programs for Blue Origin, joins me to talk about Orbital Reef. We talk about the long history leading up to this architecture, the nature of their partnership with Sierra Space and other team members, the parts of the program that are specific to their contract with NASA on the Commercial LEO Destinations project, and dive into how their business strategy might play out in the near future.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 40 executive producers—Simon, Lauren, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, Andrew, and seven anonymous—and 788 other supporters.

Topics

• Blue Origin
• Orbital Reef
• Announcing Orbital Reef - Your Address in Orbit - YouTube
• Mixed-Use Business Park Developments in Space: A Real-Estate Paradigm
• T+200: Orbital Reef, Starlab, and the ISS Conundrum - Main Engine Cut Off
• T+203: Starlab with Marshall Smith, SVP of Space Systems at Nanoracks - Main Engine Cut Off
• Blue Origin and Sierra Space Leading Team to Build “Orbital Reef” Business Park in Space – SpacePolicyOnline.com
• Sierra Space to work with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries on commercial space station technologies - SpaceNews
• NASA Selects Companies to Develop Commercial Destinations in Space | NASA
• Orbital Reef passes design review - SpaceNews

The Show

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• Artwork photo by NASA/Ben Smegelsky

Brad Cheetham, co-founder, CEO, and President of Advanced Space joins me to talk about their upcoming CAPSTONE mission. We talk about how the mission came to be, what it’s been like working with NASA and the other partners on the mission, and then dive into the nerdy details of the trajectory it’s flying to the moon, the orbits it will operate in, how its autonomous positioning system works, and how it might be used in the future.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 40 executive producers—Simon, Lauren, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, Andrew, and seven anonymous—and 783 other supporters.

Topics

• Advanced Space | Delivering Innovation to Orbit.
• CAPSTONE | Advanced Space
• CAPSTONE lunar cubesat mission to launch this spring - SpaceNews
• CAPSTONE cubesat ready for cislunar mission - SpaceNews

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
• Artwork photo by NASA/Ben Smegelsky

Andrew Maximov, founder of Precious Payload, joins me to talk about what he and his team have been working on, what they see as the missing pieces in the industry, and why they think they are building the right set of tools for where things are headed.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 40 executive producers—Simon, Lauren, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, Andrew, and seven anonymous—and 773 other supporters.

Topics

• Precious Payload – Do rocket science. We'll do the rest.
• Precious Payload (@preciouspayload) / Twitter
• ‘Bringing space down to Earth for everyday people... using software?’ Precious Payload meets MECO - YouTube

The Show

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Amazon is purchasing up to 83 launches from Arianespace, Blue Origin and United Launch Alliance—in addition to the 9 Atlas V launches they bought last year—to deploy their Project Kuiper constellation. This is a huge deal that changes the game for heavy lift launch providers, and has major implications for the small launch providers in the industry.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 40 executive producers—Simon, Lauren, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, Andrew, and seven anonymous—and 766 other supporters.

Topics

• Amazon signs multibillion-dollar Project Kuiper launch contracts - SpaceNews
• Arianespace, ULA, Blue Origin discuss executing ambitious Kuiper constellation missions for Amazon - NASASpaceFlight.com
• Amazon launch contracts drive changes to launch vehicle production - SpaceNews
• Andrew Parsonson on Twitter: “Interesting details from @Arianespace regarding the @amazon deal. 16 of the 18 missions will be launched aboard the Ariane 64 with the upgraded P120C+ boosters. The new boosters are set to be introduced in 2025 and only if they are approved by @esa Member States in November.”
• Episode 55 - I’ve Slept on a Torpedo - Off-Nominal

The Show

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The White House has finally submitted its fiscal year 2023 budget request, which has big implications for NASA’s Commercial LEO program, and their newest announcement, the upcoming Sustaining Lunar Development contract to support the Artemis program’s lunar landings through the 2020s.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 40 executive producers—Simon, Lauren, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, Andrew, and seven anonymous—and 748 other supporters.

Topics

• NASA Provides Update to Astronaut Moon Lander Plans Under Artemis | NASA
• NASA Lays Out Revised Approach for Future Human Lunar Landing Systems – SpacePolicyOnline.com
• NASA to support development of second Artemis lunar lander - SpaceNews
• Budget Documents, Strategic Plans and Performance Reports | NASA
• Previous Years' Budget Requests | NASA
• NASA Administrator Statement on President’s FY 2023 Budget Request | NASA
• NASA Asking for Another Steep Increase in FY2023 – SpacePolicyOnline.com

The Show

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• Artwork photo by NASA Wallops/Patrick Black

A follow-up on my last show with Debra Werner about the war in Ukraine and all the fallout from it, both political and industrial. Everything from the NASA budgets for 2022 and 2023, NASA telling astronauts to stop tweeting, the increased importance of European human spaceflight, and how the launch industry might shift in the future.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 40 executive producers—Simon, Lauren, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, Andrew, and seven anonymous—and 738 other supporters.

Topics

• T+210: Ukraine, Russia, and the Space Industry (with Debra Werner) - Main Engine Cut Off
• NASA To Get $24 Billion for FY2022, More than Last Year But Less Than Biden Wanted – SpacePolicyOnline.com
• Scott Kelly: Former NASA astronaut to back off Twitter war with head of Russian space agency - CNN
• ESA - Luca Parmitano presents the European Astronauts’ Manifesto
• ESA - ExoMars suspended

The Show

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Debra Werner of SpaceNews joins me to talk about Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, the ways that it is affecting the space industry, how their last invasion had similar effects, and how the situation solidifies several arguments that have been made over the past decade or more.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 40 executive producers—Simon, Lauren, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, Andrew, and seven anonymous—and 730 other supporters.

Topics

• Debra Werner, Author at SpaceNews
• Debra Werner (@spacereportr) / Twitter
• Previous invasion of Ukraine had serious repercussions for the space sector - SpaceNews
• EOS Data Analytics issues urgent plea for imagery of Ukraine - SpaceNews
• Russian military convoy north of Kyiv stretches for 40 miles -Maxar | Reuters
• Small satellite constellations promise resilient communications and Earth observation - SpaceNews
• Statement on the status of the eROSITA instrument aboard Spektr-RG (SRG) | Max Planck Institute for extraterrestrial Physics
• Russia says it will no longer sell rocket engines to the United States - The Verge
• OneWeb leaves Baikonur Cosmodrome after Roscosmos ultimatum - SpaceNews
• Ukraine engineer talks testing SpaceX’s new Starlink service - The Verge

The Show

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• Artwork photo by NASA Wallops/Patrick Black

A special feature of a very-MECO episode of my other podcast, Off-Nominal, that I did this week with Michael Sheetz of CNBC and Eric Berger of Ars Technica. If you have yet to check out Off-Nominal, find us on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 40 executive producers—Simon, Lauren, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, Andrew, and seven anonymous—and 749 other supporters.

Topics

• Off-Nominal
• Episode 50 - Was That a Bake Sale? - Off-Nominal (Show notes)
• Episode 50 - Was That a Bake Sale? (with Michael Sheetz and Eric Berger) - YouTube
• Off-Nominal - YouTube
• Subscribe to the show! - Off-Nominal

The Show

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• Artwork photo by ULA

Jared Isaacman, commander of Inspiration4, announced the Polaris Program—a privately-funded development program to “rapidly advance human spaceflight capabilities” via flights on SpaceX’s Dragon and Starship vehicles. It begins with a mission to the highest Earth orbit ever flown by humans, featuring the first commercial spacewalk, and culminates with the first crewed Starship flight.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 40 executive producers—Simon, Lauren, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, Andrew, and seven anonymous—and 738 other supporters.

Topics

• Polaris Program
• Inspiration4 - Home
• Jared Isaacman (@rookisaacman) / Twitter
• Starship Update - YouTube

The Show

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• Artwork photo by ULA

Eric Berger of Ars Technica joins me to talk about what’s on our radar in 2022, to predict when the big new rockets will fly, and to generally catch up on what’s going on in the space industry.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 39 executive producers—Simon, Lauren, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, and seven anonymous—and 741 other supporters.

Topics

• Eric Berger
• Eric Berger | Ars Technica
• Liftoff: Elon Musk and the Desperate Early Days That Launched SpaceX
• Rocket Report: SpaceX lands rocket cargo funding, Virgin Galactic’s stock crash | Ars Technica
• This may finally be the year we see some new chunky rockets take flight | Ars Technica
• Firefly Owner Max Polyakov to Sell Stake in Rocket Startup - Bloomberg
• T+195: Blue Origin’s Project Jarvis, Suborbital Flights, and Nauka Fallout (with Eric Berger) - Main Engine Cut Off

The Show

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• Artwork photo by ESA

Last week I left my full-time gig at Big Cartel. I’m going independent to do more Main Engine Cut Off and Off-Nominal, and to make these space-focused projects the primary work that I do. I’m also going to be building some apps of my own, and doing a good bit of client work—which could include you! If you’ve got an app or a site or really anything digital to build, hit me up and let’s work together.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 39 executive producers—Simon, Lauren, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, and seven anonymous—and 718 other supporters.

Topics

• Going Independent - Anthony Colangelo
• Home - Off-Nominal
• Off-Nominal - YouTube
• Off-Nominal Happy Hour - Dec 16, 2021 - YouTube

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
• Artwork photo by NASA

Phil McAlister, Director of Commercial Spaceflight at NASA, joins me to talk about the history of and lessons learned from the Commercial Cargo and Crew programs, what things went well and not so well in those programs, the difficulty of changing NASA’s approach to human spaceflight, how to deal with varying levels of Congressional funding and buy-in, and how all of that feeds into the new Commercial LEO Destinations program.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 39 executive producers—Simon, Lauren, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, and seven anonymous—and 716 other supporters.

Topics

• Philip McAlister, HEO Director of Commercial Spaceflight Division | NASA
• NASA Releases COTS Final Report | NASA
• International Space Station Commercial Resupply Launch | NASA
• Commercial Crew Program | NASA
• Low-Earth Orbit Economy | NASA
• NASA Selects Companies to Develop Commercial Destinations in Space | NASA
• NASA Developing a Plan to Fly Personnel on Suborbital Spacecraft | NASA
• Happy Hour - Off-Nominal
• Off-Nominal Happy Hour - Dec 16, 2021 - YouTube
• Main Engine Cut Off on Twitter: “If you haven’t yet caught Happy Hour, you should check it out! I shared some big news: Next week is my last week at my full-time job! I’m going independent so I can do more MECO, more @offnom, and hopefully some new projects too! Thank you all so much for being part of this. ❤️”

The Show

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• Artwork photo by NASA

Bill Spetch, Manager of the ISS Vehicle Office at NASA, joins me to discuss the operational considerations of docking and berthing ports on the International Space Station, the recent traffic jams we’ve seen on station, why certain vehicles and systems use one port over the other, how to fit large cargo through docking ports, and what the future of ISS port operations look like in the era of commercial space station expansion.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 40 executive producers—Brandon, Simon, Lauren, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, and seven anonymous—and 712 other supporters.

Topics

• NASA OIG, AUDIT OF COMMERCIAL RESUPPLY SERVICES TO THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION, April 26, 2018
• It now seems likely that Starliner will not launch crew until early 2022 | Ars Technica
• SpaceX crew capsule relocated outside space station before Boeing mission – Spaceflight Now

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
• Artwork photo by NASA

Marshall Smith, Senior Vice President of Space Systems of Nanoracks, joins me to talk about Starlab, their commercial space station which recently won a contract award from NASA as part of their Commercial LEO Destinations program.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 40 executive producers—Brandon, Simon, Lauren, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, and seven anonymous—and 706 other supporters.

Topics

• Nanoracks - Your Portal to Space
• Nanoracks Appoints Marshall Smith as Senior Vice President of Space Systems
• Starlab - The first ever free-flying commercial space station - Nanoracks
• Nanoracks Space Outpost Program
• T+200: Orbital Reef, Starlab, and the ISS Conundrum - Main Engine Cut Off
• Nanoracks and Lockheed Martin partner on commercial space station project - SpaceNews
• NASA awards funding to three commercial space station concepts - SpaceNews

The Show

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• Artwork photo by NASA

Brian Weeden of the Secure World Foundation joins me to talk about the technical and political fallout of Russia’s recent anti-satellite weapons demonstration, the history of anti-satellite weapons and testing, the geopolitical situation surrounding the topic, and what the future of space debris tracking and management looks like.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 40 executive producers—Brandon, Simon, Lauren, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, and seven anonymous—and 712 other supporters.

Topics

• Brian Weeden (@brianweeden) / Twitter
• Dr. Brian Weeden | Secure World
• Promoting Cooperative Solutions for Space Sustainability | Secure World
• Global Counterspace Capabilities | Secure World
• SWF Releases Updated Compilation of Anti-satellite Testing in Space | Secure World
• T+201: Russia’s Reckless and Awful Anti-Satellite Operation - Main Engine Cut Off

The Show

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Russia recklessly carried out an anti-satellite operation on a large, defunct satellite in one of the most heavily-used and most important sections of Earth orbit. I share my thoughts on the operation, Russia’s status in the space industry at large, and what the technical and political fallout may be coming out of this.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 40 executive producers—Brandon, Simon, Lauren, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, and seven anonymous—and 703 other supporters.

Topics

• Russia destroys satellite in ASAT test - SpaceNews
• Russia Confirms ASAT Test, Denies Debris Threat – SpacePolicyOnline.com
• SWF Releases Updated Compilation of Anti-satellite Testing in Space | Secure World
• 2021 Russian satellite intercept - YouTube
• SpaceNav on Twitter: “Updated orbital element distribution from the COSMOS 1408 ASAT event.”
• Op-ed | Lessons to learn from Russia’s Nudol ASAT test - SpaceNews
• Why India’s ASAT Test Was Reckless – The Diplomat

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
• Artwork photo by NASA

Commercial space station mania! Blue Origin, Sierra Space, Boeing, and Redwire announced Orbital Reef, while Nanoracks and Lockheed Martin announced Starlab, all in the run up to the expected awards as part of NASA’s Commercial Low-Earth Orbit Destinations program.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 40 executive producers—Brandon, Simon, Lauren, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, and seven anonymous—and 702 other supporters.

Topics

• Nanoracks and Lockheed Martin partner on commercial space station project - SpaceNews
• Blue Origin and Sierra Space announce plans for commercial space station - SpaceNews
• Orbital Reef
• Announcing Orbital Reef - Your Address in Orbit - YouTube
• Blue Origin and Sierra Space Leading Team to Build “Orbital Reef” Business Park in Space – SpacePolicyOnline.com
• T+195: Blue Origin’s Project Jarvis, Suborbital Flights, and Nauka Fallout (with Eric Berger) - Main Engine Cut Off
• Senate Committee Told U.S. Space Leadership Requires Continued Presence in Low Earth Orbit – SpacePolicyOnline.com
• Industry Input Sought on Commercial Destinations in LEO | NASA

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
• Artwork photo by SpaceX

I took a half-hour ride out to the National Aerospace Training and Research (NASTAR) Center to take a tour with Glenn King, (COO, Director of Advanced Pilot & Space Training, and recent Netflix star) about their training, what they’ve been up to lately in this busy season of people going to space, and what the future may hold for spaceflight training. We tour their altitude chamber, spatial disorientation device, and high performance human centrifuge along with its various cockpits.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 41 executive producers—Brandon, Simon, Lauren, Melissa, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, and seven anonymous—and 691 other supporters.

Topics

• Audio Gear as of March 7, 2020
• National Aerospace Training and Research Center - NASTAR Center
• Orbital and Suborbital Human Spaceflight Training Programs - Space Training - NASTAR Center
• Argentinian man with disability hopes to go into outer space - Disability Insider
• Inspiration4 - Inspiration4 crew completes centrifuge training
• Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space - Netflix

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
• Artwork photo by SpaceX

Ryan McDevitt, CEO of Benchmark Space Systems joins me to talk all about what Benchmark has been up to lately, what mobility-as-a-service means for the industry, and their partnership with Orbit Fab.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 41 executive producers—Brandon, Simon, Lauren, Melissa, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, and seven anonymous—and 683 other supporters.

Topics

• Benchmark Space Systems
• Benchmark Space Systems unveils in-space mobility-as-a-service business - SpaceNews
• Satellite propulsion startup Benchmark eyes growth in military market - SpaceNews
• Orbit Fab
• Orbit Fab and Benchmark Space Systems to partner on in-space refueling technologies - SpaceNews
• Orbit Fab to launch propellant tanker to fuel satellites in geostationary orbit - SpaceNews

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
• Artwork photo by SpaceX

At a town hall this week, NASA announced that the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate will be split in two: the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, led by Jim Free, and the Space Operations Mission Directorate, led by Kathy Lueders. I discuss what this change might mean for the future of NASA’s human spaceflight program, and why I think it’s not something to worry about if you’re a Kathy Lueders stan.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 42 executive producers—Brandon, Matthew, Simon, Lauren, Melissa, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, and seven anonymous—and 683 other supporters.

Topics

• NASA Town Hall on Human Spaceflight - YouTube
• NASA splits human spaceflight directorate into two organizations - SpaceNews
• NASA to split leadership of its human spaceflight program | Ars Technica

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
• Artwork photo by ESA

Last week, Firefly made their first flight attempt of Alpha, and Astra launched their latest vehicle, LV0006. Though both ended in failure, it’s a good time to check in on them and other small launchers that will debut soon like, ABL’s RS1 and Relativity’s Terran 1, and how they may all compete with each other.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 42 executive producers—Brandon, Matthew, Simon, Lauren, Melissa, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, and seven anonymous—and 662 other supporters.

Topics

• Firefly Alpha failure blamed on premature engine shutdown - SpaceNews
• Jack Beyer (@thejackbeyer) / Twitter
• Firefly Alpha FLTA001 - YouTube
• Firefly partners with Aerojet Rocketdyne, mulls AR1 engine for Beta launch vehicle - SpaceNews
• T+177: NASA VCLS 2, Relativity, Astra, and Firefly - Main Engine Cut Off
• Astra Rocket 3.3 launch fails - SpaceNews
• Astra Conducts Test Launch | Astra
• Lockheed Martin makes block buy of launches from ABL Space Systems - SpaceNews
• Lockheed Martin pitching mid-size satellite bus to DoD for remote sensing  - SpaceNews
• ABL, Astra, Relativity selected to compete for U.S. Space Force responsive launch contracts - SpaceNews
• Virgin Orbit to expand launch business, move into satellite services - SpaceNews
• Relativity raises $650 million round, announces Terran R rocket - SpaceNews
• Relativity to open a huge factory that measures up to its grand ambitions | Ars Technica

The Show

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• Artwork photo by ESA

Eric Berger of Ars Technica returns to the show to talk about the recent crewed suborbital flights by Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin, Blue Origin’s Project Jarvis and their future work, and what the chaotic arrival of Nauka means for the future of the ISS and international space politics.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 43 executive producers—Brandon, Matthew, Simon, Lauren, Melissa, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, Grant, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, and seven anonymous—and 618 other supporters.

Topics

• Eric Berger
• Eric Berger | Ars Technica
• Liftoff: Elon Musk and the Desperate Early Days That Launched SpaceX
• Here’s why Richard Branson’s flight matters—and, yes, it really matters | Ars Technica
• Blue Origin successfully completes its first human launch [Updated] | Ars Technica
• Despite Tuesday’s flight, Jeff Bezos is running out of time to save Blue Origin | Ars Technica
• Blue Origin has a secret project named “Jarvis” to compete with SpaceX | Ars Technica
• Bezos says he is now willing to invest in a Moon lander—here’s why | Ars Technica
• Nauka module’s near miss raises concerns about future of space station | Ars Technica

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
• Artwork photo by Roscosmos

Richard Branson flew to space aboard SpaceShipTwo on Virgin Galactic’s Unity 22, and Jeff Bezos flew to space aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard 16. I share my thoughts on the flights, the vehicles, and how I’m currently looking at suborbital tourism and why it does or doesn’t matter.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 42 executive producers—Brandon, Matthew, Simon, Lauren, Melissa, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, Grant, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, Hemant, and seven anonymous—and 628 other supporters.

Topics

• Virgin Galactic's First Fully Crewed Spaceflight #Unity22 - YouTube
• Virgin Galactic on Twitter: “Take-off! The #Unity22 crew including @RichardBranson leave Spaceport America, New Mexico for #VirginGalactic’s first fully-crewed spaceflight.”
• T+163: Suborbital Crew, Virgin Galactic to ISS - Main Engine Cut Off
• T+105: Jonathan McDowell - Main Engine Cut Off
• Virgin Galactic flight test director Mark Stucky leaves company
• New Shepard First Human Flight - YouTube
• First Human Flight Post-Flight Press Conference - YouTube
• Slopes Ski & Snowboard - Track Your Winter Adventures

The Show

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• Artwork photo by NASA

Marcia Smith of SpacePolicyOnline.com joins me for a round up of space policy news, including how the Biden and Nelson administrations are doing so far, things that are being overlooked or sidelined, the Senate’s NASA Authorization bill, NASA’s Human Landing System contract and the battle for funding, the space tourism learning period, and we finish with a quick look at what China and Russia have been up to lately.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 41 executive producers—Brandon, Matthew, Simon, Lauren, Melissa, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, Grant, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, Hemant, and seven anonymous—and 613 other supporters.

Topics

• SpacePolicyOnline.com – Your first stop for news, information and analysis about civil, military and commercial space programs
• Marcia Smith (@SpcPlcyOnline) / Twitter
• Op-ed | NOAA is stalling U.S. space traffic management - SpaceNews
• FAA Introduces New System to Clear Airspace More Quickly Around Launches and Reentries – SpacePolicyOnline.com
• Space Force Gets $2 Billion Boost in FY2022 Request – SpacePolicyOnline.com
• Biden Budget Retains Goal of Putting Astronauts Back on Moon by 2024 – SpacePolicyOnline.com
• Senate Passes NASA Authorization, SSA Legislation as Part of Sweeping China Competition Bill – SpacePolicyOnline.com
• NASA Offers $45M to Solve Risks for Astronaut Moon Landing Services
• Nelson Sees Jobs Bill as Solution to HLS and Other Funding Needs – SpacePolicyOnline.com
• China, Russia Lay Out Joint Plans To Explore the Moon While China Launches First Crew to Tianhe – SpacePolicyOnline.com
• Putin Wants Continued Space Cooperation With U.S. – SpacePolicyOnline.com

The Show

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I’m joined by Matt LaPointe, Technical Director at Redwire’s Deployable Space Systems, and Andrew Rush, COO of Redwire, to talk about the newest upgrade to the International Space Station: the Roll-Out Solar Arrays that are currently being deployed over the course of several spacewalks.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 41 executive producers—Brandon, Matthew, Simon, Lauren, Melissa, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, Grant, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, and seven anonymous—and 617 other supporters.

Topics

• Redwire | Heritage + Innovation
• Deployable Space Systems
• ROSA Flight Demonstration Hardware Successfully Deploys On ISS - Deployable Space Systems
• New Solar Arrays to Power NASA’s International Space Station Research | NASA
• Redwire acquires Deployable Space Systems - SpaceNews
• Spacewalkers unfurl first of six new space station solar arrays – Spaceflight Now
• Redwire Space on Twitter: “Check out the new view on @Space_Station! #ICYMI: The first of our iROSA solar arrays was successfully installed on space station at 11:24am ET this morning. At 63 feet long and 20 feet wide, they'll provide a significant power boost 🔋 to the orbiting laboratory! (📸: @NASA)”
• T+131: Andrew Rush, CEO of Made in Space - Main Engine Cut Off
• Andrew Rush (@RushSpace) / Twitter

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
• Artwork photo by United Launch Alliance

Phil Bracken, Vice President of Engineering at Spaceflight, joins me to talk about their past, current, and upcoming missions, the Sherpa program, and to dive into the technical details of it all.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 41 executive producers—Brandon, Matthew, Simon, Lauren, Melissa, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, Grant, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, and seven anonymous—and 595 other supporters.

Topics

• Philip Bracken - Spaceflight
• Spaceflight - Launch Services, Dedicated and Rideshare
• Spaceflight - Sherpa Program
• SSO-A - Spaceflight
• Integration Wrap Up for SXRS-5 - Spaceflight
• Inside look: Spaceflight ships out Sherpa orbital tugs
• T+162: Grant Bonin, SVP of Business Development at Spaceflight - Main Engine Cut Off

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
• Artwork photo by United Launch Alliance

Brock Howe, the Program Manager for Nanoracks’ Bishop Airlock, joins me to talk about the final build out and launch of Bishop, its installation on ISS, some details of its operations, and its plans for the future on ISS and beyond.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 40 executive producers—Brandon, Matthew, Simon, Lauren, Melissa, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, Grant, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, and seven anonymous—and 592 other supporters.

Topics

• Nanoracks - Your Portal to Space
• Bishop Airlock - First Commercal Space Station Airlock
• Nanoracks (@Nanoracks) / Twitter
• Brock Howe (@B_Rock_Howe) / Twitter
• Bishop Airlock Takes Flight, Headed to ISS on SpaceX-21 Launch
• Nanoracks on Twitter: “#BishopAirlock: Now mated to @Space_Station”

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
• Artwork photo by NASA