Main Engine Cut Off

This month, I take on questions about small launch, future space ventures, and the Boeing/SLS saga/drama. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 34 executive producers—Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Jamison, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, Jasper, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, John, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Grant, Mike, David, Mints, Joonas, and eight anonymous—and 191 other supporters on Patreon. ISS schedule slips Dragon launch to May 19 - future manifest outlook - NASASpaceFlight.com Rocket Lab | Space is now open for business | Rocket Lab Virgin Orbit Firefly Aerospace Relativity Space Vega C - Arianespace Vector – A Revolution Is Upon Us, Opening Up The High Frontier To Innovators. And Vector Is Leading The Way. ABL Space Systems Rocket Lab selects Wallops Flight Facility for US launch site | Rocket Lab Episode T+87: Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 - Main Engine Cut Off ConsenSys Acquires Planetary Resources | Planetary Resources Deep Space Industries | Deep Space Industries Moon Express S

NASA released a request for information this week about cargo services to the Gateway—big news for the future of NASA and the Gateway. I break down the technical and non-technical bits of that announcement, as well as some updates on Space Force and the Soyuz situation. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 34 executive producers—Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Jamison, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, Jasper, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, John, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Grant, Mike, David, Mints, Joonas, and eight anonymous—and 189 other supporters on Patreon. DOD “Moving Out” on Space Force As Space Council Approves Six Recommendations to President - SpacePolicyOnline.com Bridenstine confident in Soyuz return to flight despite quality concerns - SpaceNews.com NASA Seeks Information for Gateway Cargo Delivery Services Gateway Logistics Services - Federal Business Opportunities: Opportunities Gateway Logistics Services - Main Engine Cut Off Eric Berger on Twitter: “Congress hasn’t made up its

I share some thoughts on the two rocket drama stories from last week: a brutal OIG report on Boeing’s work on SLS stages, and the Air Force selected three new launch vehicles to receive development funding. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 35 executive producers—Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Jamison, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, Jasper, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, John, Moritz, Tyler, Joel, Jan, David, Grant, Mike, David, Mints, Joonas, and eight anonymous—and 186 other supporters on Patreon. NASA’s Management of the Space Launch System Stages Contract - NASA Office of Inspector General There’s a new report on SLS rocket management, and it’s pretty brutal | Ars Technica Air Force awards three Launch Service Agreements > U.S. Air Force U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE > Contract View Air Force funding three new rockets to compete with SpaceX but only intends to buy launch services from two providers - SpaceNews.com NGIS highlights advantages of their Air Force contract win with Om

Blue Origin and Harris announced an interesting partnership last week that’s worth discussing: Harris will be producing 5-meter fixed mesh reflector antennas that can only fit (for now) inside of New Glenn’s big fairing. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 35 executive producers—Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Jamison, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, Jasper, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, John, Moritz, Tyler, Joel, Jan, David, Grant, Mike, David, Mints, Joonas, and eight anonymous—and 186 other supporters on Patreon. Blue Origin & Harris whitepaper on 5-meter antennas Email your thoughts and comments to anthony@mainenginecutoff.com Follow @WeHaveMECO Listen to MECO Headlines Join the Off-Nominal Discord Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn or elsewhere Subscribe to the Main Engine Cut Off Newsletter Buy shirts and Rocket Socks from the Main Engine Cut Off Shop Support Main Engine Cut Off on Patreon

This month, I take on questions about BE-4 and Vulcan, small launch, BFR, and human spaceflight. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 36 executive producers—Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Jamison, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, Jasper, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, John, Moritz, Tyler, Joel, Jan, David, Grant, Barbara, Mike, David, Mints, Joonas, and eight anonymous—and 187 other supporters on Patreon. United Launch Alliance Building Rocket of the Future with Industry-Leading Strategic Partnerships EELV LSA Selection “Sometime in August” - Main Engine Cut Off U.K. selects Scottish spaceport site - SpaceNews.com Government Has Environmental Concerns About Nova Scotia Launch Site - Parabolic Arc Ursa Major Technologies OneWeb, treading water awaiting debt financing, now a source of industry concern - Space Intel Report BFR passing the Moon | Official SpaceX Photos | Flickr Gamma Radiation Protection and Radiation Shield | StemRad Commander Leads Japanese, Russian Spaceship Preps and BEAM Ch

Some thoughts on the #dearMoon project, SpaceX’s announcement, and the essence of SpaceX’s strategy—bringing us along for the ride. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 36 executive producers—Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Jamison, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, Jasper, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, John, Moritz, Tyler, Joel, Jan, David, Grant, Barbara, Mike, David, Mints, Joonas, and eight anonymous—and 186 other supporters on Patreon. #dearMoon First Private Passenger on Lunar BFR Mission - YouTube Email your thoughts and comments to anthony@mainenginecutoff.com Follow @WeHaveMECO Listen to MECO Headlines Join the Off-Nominal Discord Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn or elsewhere Subscribe to the Main Engine Cut Off Newsletter Buy shirts and Rocket Socks from the Main Engine Cut Off Shop Support Main Engine Cut Off on Patreon

Pat O. and I took a trip down to NASA Goddard to explore all that’s going on there. We talk a bit about our visit, what we saw and learned, and we talk with Brent Robertson, project manager of Restore-L, NASA’s satellite servicing mission. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 36 executive producers—Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Jamison, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, Jasper, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, John, Moritz, Tyler, Joel, Jan, David, Grant, Barbara, Mike, David, Mints, Joonas, and eight anonymous—and 185 other supporters on Patreon. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center | NASA Global Precipitation Mission Near-Realtime Rainfall (Incredible rolling 7-day video of rainfall) Satellite Servicing Projects Division - Team Satellite Servicing Projects Division - Restore-L pat o.

Marcia Smith of Space Policy Online joins me to talk about the recent meetings of the NASA Advisory Council, the status of Commercial Crew, Space Force, and more space policy goodness. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 36 executive producers—Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Jamison, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, Jasper, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, John, Moritz, Tyler, Joel, Jan, David, Grant, Barbara, Mike, David, Mints, Joonas, and eight anonymous—and 184 other supporters on Patreon. SpacePolicyOnline.com - Your first stop for news, information and analysis about civil, military and commercial space programs Marcia Smith (@SpcPlcyOnline) | Twitter SpacePolicyOnline.com | Facebook Gateway Gets Good Reviews from NAC Committees - SpacePolicyOnline.com NASA Announces Nine Commercial Crew Flight Assignments, More to Come from International Partners - SpacePolicyOnline.com Trump Continues to Talk Up Space Force As He Signs FY2019 NDAA - SpacePolicyOnline.com Email your thoughts and comment

The first official MECO Q&A! I answer questions from listeners about any and all things space—mostly. (PS: Start sending me your questions for September’s Q&A episode!) This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 36 executive producers—Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Jamison, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, Jasper, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, John, Moritz, Tyler, Joel, Jan, David, Grant, Barbara, Mike, David, Mints, Joonas, and eight anonymous—and 183 other supporters on Patreon. The Adventures of SpaceShipTwo: Inverted Flight, Wonky Gyros & an Impatient Billionaire - Parabolic Arc Virgin Galactic’s Rocket Man | The New Yorker Exos Aerospace SARGE Whip - YouTube BETA 87A Vocal Microphone | Shure Americas Roland - Rubix24 | USB Audio Interface X2u XLR-to-USB Signal Adapter | Shure Americas MV88 iOS Digital Stereo Condenser Microphone | Shure Americas Rogue Amoeba | Audio Hijack: Record Any Audio on MacOS Ferrite Recording Studio: Ferrite Recording Studio — Wooji Juice Simplecast | P

Andrew Jones joins me to talk all things Chinese spaceflight—exploration, policy, industry, and more. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 37 executive producers—Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Jamison, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, Jasper, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, John, Moritz, Tyler, Joel, Jan, David, Grant, Barbara, Stan, Mike, David, Mints, Joonas, and eight anonymous—and 182 other supporters on Patreon. Andrew Jones (@AJ_FI) | Twitter Andrew Jones | The Planetary Society Andrew Jones, Author at SpaceNews.com GBTIMES: Andrew Jones Landspace of China to launch first rocket in Q4 2018 - SpaceNews.com Chinese rocket maker OneSpace secures $44m in funding; Expace prepares for commercial launch - SpaceNews.com China's mission to the far side of the Moon will launch in December | The Planetary Society Email your thoughts and comments to anthony@mainenginecutoff.com Follow @WeHaveMECO Listen to MECO Headlines Join the Off-Nominal Discord Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Cas

Lockheed Martin has been slowly revealing their small sat strategy over the last three years, and it’s shaping up to be quite interesting and potentially very compelling. And NASA announced 10 Tipping Point awards last week, which include some very interesting projects from Blue Origin, ULA, and Astrobotic. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 37 executive producers—Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Jamison, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, Jasper, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, John, Moritz, Tyler, Joel, Jan, David, Grant, Barbara, Stan, Mike, David, Mints, Joonas, and eight anonymous—and 181 other supporters on Patreon. Terran Orbital’s Series B Round, and Lockheed’s Small Sat Master Plan - Main Engine Cut Off NASA Announces New Partnerships in Space Exploration Technologies | NASA Email your thoughts and comments to anthony@mainenginecutoff.com Follow @WeHaveMECO Listen to MECO Headlines Join the Off-Nominal Discord Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Spotify, Google Play, S

Michael Provenzano and Andrew Horchler of CubeRover and Astrobotic join me to talk about the project, the rover itself, and the future of robotic exploration on the Moon (and beyond). This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 38 executive producers—Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Jamison, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, Jasper, Chris, Warren, Bob, Brian, Russell, John, Moritz, Tyler, Joel, Jan, David, Grant, Barbara, Stan, Mike, David, Mints, Joonas, and eight anonymous—and 176 other supporters on Patreon. CubeRover CubeRover (@CubeRover) | Twitter Home | Astrobotic Astrobotic (@astrobotic) | Twitter Homepage - CMU - Carnegie Mellon University - CMU - Carnegie Mellon University Daily Planet | Science News and Video Clips | Discovery This is CubeRover - YouTube Email your thoughts and comments to anthony@mainenginecutoff.com Follow @WeHaveMECO Listen to MECO Headlines Join the Off-Nominal Discord Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn or e

Rocket Lab announced that they’re in the final selection stage of their search for a US launch site. I break down the options they have, and discuss why I think they’ll pick Wallops Island. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 37 executive producers—Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Jamison, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, Jasper, Chris, Warren, Bob, Brian, Russell, John, Moritz, Tyler, Joel, Jan, David, Grant, Barbara, Stan, Mike, David, Mints, Joonas, and seven anonymous—and 173 other supporters on Patreon. Rocket Lab to expand launch capability with US launch site | Rocket Lab Rocket Lab selects four finalists for U.S. launch site - SpaceNews.com Space Access from MARS Next space station resupply launch scheduled May 20 at Wallops Island | Virginia | roanoke.com Email your thoughts and comments to anthony@mainenginecutoff.com Follow @WeHaveMECO Listen to MECO Headlines Join the Off-Nominal Discord Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneI

Big news this week: SpaceX won an EELV contract for Falcon Heavy. I talk through what this means for the US launch market, how SpaceX and Falcon Heavy are set up to compete for the next few years. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 36 executive producers—Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Jamison, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, Jasper, Chris, Warren, Bob, Brian, Russell, John, Moritz, Tyler, Joel, Jan, David, Grant, Barbara, Stan, Mike, David, Mints, and seven anonymous—and 175 other supporters on Patreon. Air Force Certifies Falcon Heavy, Awards SpaceX AFSPC-52 Launch - Main Engine Cut Off U.S. Department of Defense - Contracts for June 21, 2018 Capabilities & Services | SpaceX RocketBuilder Air Force awards big launch contracts to SpaceX and ULA - SpaceNews.com Episode T+72: SpaceX’s Motivation for Falcon Heavy - Main Engine Cut Off Email your thoughts and comments to anthony@mainenginecutoff.com Follow @WeHaveMECO Listen to MECO Headlines Join the Off-Nominal Discord Subscribe on Ap

ESA has all but given its full support to the (newly renamed) Lunar Gateway, and Terry Virts threw some criticism its way during the third meeting of the National Space Council. I break down what those things mean for the future of Lunar Gateway, and discuss why I’m (gasp!) supportive of the program. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 36 executive producers—Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Jamison, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, Jasper, Chris, Warren, Bob, Brian, Russell, John, Moritz, Tyler, Joel, Jan, David, Grant, Barbara, Stan, Mike, David, Mints, and seven anonymous—and 174 other supporters on Patreon. A milestone in securing ESA’s future role in the global exploration of space / Exploration / Human Spaceflight / Our Activities / ESA Meeting of the National Space Council - YouTube Op-ed: The Deep Space Gateway would shackle human exploration, not enable it | Ars Technica Former astronaut criticizes lunar gateway plans - SpaceNews.com Off-Nominal 09 - Randomly Throwing Money Out Into

Last week, China opened up their future space station to other nations, and Blue Origin laid some hints about their lunar ambitions. Both of these stories are indicative of what I think the next era of exploration will look like, and it has interesting implications for NASA. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 36 executive producers—Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Jamison, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, Jasper, Chris, Warren, Bob, Brian, Russell, John, Moritz, Tyler, Joel, Jan, David, Grant, Barbara, Stan, Mike, David, Mints, and seven anonymous—and 166 other supporters on Patreon. Off-Nominal Studios East - Main Engine Cut Off Why China is opening its space station to international partners Bezos outlines vision of Blue Origin’s lunar future - SpaceNews.com NASA Selects US Companies to Advance Space Resource Collection | NASA Email your thoughts and comments to anthony@mainenginecutoff.com Follow @WeHaveMECO Listen to MECO Headlines Join the Off-Nominal Discord Subscribe on Apple Podcas

Two events worth discussing happened while I was on vacation—the first Block 5 Falcon 9 took flight, and ULA selected RL10 for Centaur V. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 33 executive producers—Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Jamison, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, Jasper, Chris, Warren, Bob, Brian, Russell, John, Moritz, Tyler, Joel, Jan, David, Grant, Barbara, Stan, Mike, and six anonymous—and 164 other supporters on Patreon. Bangabandhu Satellite-1 Mission | SpaceX SpaceX launches Bangladeshi satellite on debut Block 5 Falcon 9 mission - SpaceNews.com RL10 Engine to Power ULA’s New Vulcan Centaur Upper Stage | Aerojet Rocketdyne ULA selects Aerojet to provide Vulcan upper stage engine - SpaceNews.com Episode T+63: Centaur V, BFR Updates - Main Engine Cut Off Email your thoughts and comments to anthony@mainenginecutoff.com Follow @WeHaveMECO Listen to MECO Headlines Join the Off-Nominal Discord Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, Tune

Jon Goff of Altius Space Machines joins me to talk about how he got to where he is today and what’s ahead for Altius—including satellite servicing with Bulldog, propellant depots, cryo couplers, and wet labs. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 31 executive producers—Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Jamison, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, Jasper, Chris, Warren, Bob, Brian, Russell, John, Moritz, Tyler, Joel, Jan, David, Grant, Barbara, and six anonymous—and 161 other supporters on Patreon. Jonathan A. Goff (@rocketrepreneur) | Twitter Selenian Boondocks | Random Musings from the Warped Minds of Jonathan Goff, Ken Murphy, John Hare, and Kirk Sorensen Jonathan Goff | Selenian Boondocks Altius Space Machines, Inc. AltiusSpaceMachines (@AltiusSpace) | Twitter Cryo Coupler SBIR Phase II Win » Altius Space Machines STARPOST Email your thoughts and comments to anthony@mainenginecutoff.com Follow @WeHaveMECO Listen to MECO Headlines Join the Off-Nominal Discord Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Overca

Last week, we heard news that the Resource Prospector mission has been cancelled. I spend some time thinking through my initial reactions to the news, and speculate about what the path ahead may hold for lunar development. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 31 executive producers—Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Jamison, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, Jasper, Chris, Warren, Bob, Brian, Russell, John, Moritz, Tyler, Joel, Jan, David, Grant, Barbara, and six anonymous—and 161 other supporters on Patreon. NASA scraps a lunar surface mission — just as it’s supposed to focus on a Moon return - The Verge NASA emphasizes commercial lunar lander plans with Resource Prospector cancellation - SpaceNews.com Commercial Lunar Payload Services - CLPS - Federal Business Opportunities: Opportunities Email your thoughts and comments to anthony@mainenginecutoff.com Follow @WeHaveMECO Listen to MECO Headlines Join the Off-Nominal Discord Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Spotify, Google

The DARPA Launch Challenge has been officially unveiled, so I spent some time breaking down the competition and speculating about who will enter and what DARPA wants out of it. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 30 executive producers—Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Jamison, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, Jasper, Chris, Warren, Bob, Brian, Russell, John, Moritz, Tyler, Joel, Jan, David, Grant, and six anonymous—and 158 other supporters on Patreon. DARPA Launch Challenge Rocket Lab Virgin Orbit Vector Astra Space preparing for suborbital test launch - SpaceNews.com Firefly Aerospace Relativity Space Stratolaunch ARCA | Engineering The Future Email your thoughts and comments to anthony@mainenginecutoff.com Follow @WeHaveMECO Listen to MECO Headlines Join the Off-Nominal Discord Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn or elsewhere Subscribe to the Main Engine Cut Off Newsletter Buy shirts and Rocket Socks from the Main Engine Cut Off Shop