T+66: A Visit to NanoRacks, and Virgin Orbit Books a Department of Defense Launch

I was in Houston last week and I visited NanoRacks for a bit. And Virgin Orbit piqued the interest of the Department of Defense, which has some interesting implications.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 22 executive producers—Kris, Mike, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Jamison, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, Jasper, Chris, Warren, Robert, Brian, and five anonymous—and 104 other supporters on Patreon.

• Virgin Orbit wins first Defense Department launch contract - SpaceNews.com
• STRATCOM chief Hyten: ‘I will not support buying big satellites that make juicy targets’ - SpaceNews.com
• Revival of Cape Canaveral’s LC-46 begins with Minotaur Pathfinder Assembly - Spaceflight101
• Orbital ATK’s Next-Generation Composite Case Passes Structural Acceptance Test - Main Engine Cut Off
• Orbital ATK Successfully Tests First Motor Case for Next Generation Launch Vehicle | Orbital ATK News Room
• Orbital ATK on Twitter: “Our Next Generation Launch Vehicle achieves critical milestone with completion of structural acceptance test”
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