Main Engine Cut Off

Jake Robins of the WeMartians Podcast joins me to discuss the state and future of the Mars exploration program, lean sample return, and more. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 18 executive producers—Kris, Mike, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Jamison, Guinevere, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, Jasper, and four anonymous—and 69 other supporters on Patreon. WeMartians Podcast - WeMartians Podcast - Follow Humanity's Journey to Mars WeMartians Podcast (@We_Martians) | Twitter WeMartians 029 - A Teenage Rover (feat. Mike Seibert) Mars Exploration Program, Thomas H. Zurbuchen, NASA SMD Associate Administrator, Presentation to National Academies (PDF, 1.9MB) NASA proposes rapid Mars sample return architecture - SpaceNews.com NASA considers kicking Mars sample return into high gear | The Planetary Society A future comes into focus for the Mars Exploration Program | The Planetary Society Space Policy Edition #16: NASA's Flagship Missions: Are They Worth It? | The Planetary Society Powering Science: N

I spent 2 minutes and 40 seconds in the shadow of the Moon in Gallatin, TN. Totality was an incredibly powerful experience, and I wanted to share what it was like to be there as best I could. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 17 executive producers—Kris, Mike, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Jamison, Guinevere, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, and four anonymous—and 66 other supporters on Patreon. Exploring Nashville My exact location in Gallatin, TN for totality My 8" Dobsonian telescope setup My photo of totality on Flickr Path of April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse in North America Email your thoughts and comments to anthony@mainenginecutoff.com Follow @WeHaveMECO Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, 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

Caleb Henry of SpaceNews joins me to discuss the slowdown in GEO satellite orders, the latest on the big LEO constellations, and what’s up with the sky falling. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 17 executive producers—Kris, Mike, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Jamison, Guinevere, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, and four anonymous—and 65 other supporters on Patreon. Caleb Henry (@CHenry_SN) | Twitter Caleb Henry, Author at SpaceNews.com Lack of satellite orders triggers layoffs at Space Systems Loral - SpaceNews.com MDA slashes GEO order expectations - SpaceNews.com NGA director supports commercial remote sensing regulatory reform - SpaceNews.com Smallsat developers propose self-regulation to address orbital debris concerns - SpaceNews.com Three Orbcomm OG2 satellites malfunctioning, fate to be determined - SpaceNews.com SES loses 12 transponders on NSS-806 satellite, says impact is temporary - SpaceNews.com Email your thoughts and comments to anthony@mainenginecutoff.com Follow @WeHaveMECO S

Rocket Lab completed their investigation into what went wrong on their first launch, Virgin Orbit’s carrier 747 arrived in Long Beach, and I discuss a few NASA-backed advanced propulsion projects. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 17 executive producers—Kris, Mike, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Jamison, Guinevere, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, and four anonymous—and 66 other supporters on Patreon. Main Engine Cut Off | Listen OnDemand Free | TuneIn Rocket Lab Completes Post-Flight Analysis | Rocket Lab Rocket Lab Addresses Vehicle Roll on Twitter Telemetry glitch kept first Electron rocket from reaching orbit - SpaceNews.com Rocket Lab clear on why first launch failed and confident to go again - NZ Herald Virgin Orbit plans 2018 first launch - SpaceNews.com Virgin Orbit Tweet Shows Launch Vehicle Hardware Virgin Orbit - NewtonThree Hotfire (5 June 2017) - YouTube Virgin Orbit - NewtonFour Hotfire (29 June 2017) - YouTube LauncherOne Service Guide (PDF, 2.5MB) Vector raises $21 million for

I spend some time thinking through what the future of the ISS holds, and what may come after it. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 17 executive producers—Kris, Mike, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Jamison, Guinevere, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, and four anonymous—and 65 other supporters on Patreon. The Space Review: Pondering the future of the International Space Station T+20: Mike Johnson, Chief Designer at NanoRacks on NanoRacks’ History, NextSTEP, and Wet Workshops - Main Engine Cut Off NanoRacks | The Operating System of Space NanoRacks To Catalyze Concepts for Deep Space Habitats Bigelow Aerospace Axiom Space The Space Show, 01/06/2017, Michael Suffredini, Amir Blachman, Axiom Space Email your thoughts and comments to anthony@mainenginecutoff.com Follow @WeHaveMECO Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Google Play, Stitcher, 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 Patre

Eric Berger returns to the show to talk about Elon Musk and SpaceX’s crusade against cost-plus contracting, the end of Red Dragon, where NASA policy is heading, and what SpaceX may have in store for the Air Force’s next round of development contracts. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 16 executive producers—Kris, Mike, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Laszlo, Jamison, Guinevere, Nadim, Peter, and four anonymous—and 63 other supporters on Patreon. Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) | Twitter Elon Musk knows what’s ailing NASA—costly contracting | Ars Technica Elon Musk’s Mars rocket may be about to lose half of its engines | Ars Technica SpaceX appears to have pulled the plug on its Red Dragon plans | Ars Technica Farewell, Red Dragon - Main Engine Cut Off SpaceX goes there—seeks government funds for deep space | Ars Technica NASA finally admits it doesn’t have the funding to land humans on Mars | Ars Technica Op-ed: We love you SpaceX, and hope you reach Mars. But we need you to focus. | Ars Tech

Loren Grush of The Verge joins me to talk about Falcon Heavy, SpaceX cancelling Dragon 2 propulsive landings, Red Dragon riding off into the sunset, Moon Express, US space policy, and a whole lot more. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 16 executive producers—Kris, Mike, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Laszlo, Jamison, Guinevere, Nadim, Peter, and four anonymous—and 62 other supporters on Patreon. Loren Grush (@lorengrush) | Twitter Elon Musk suggests SpaceX is scrapping its plans to land Dragon capsules on Mars - The Verge Farewell, Red Dragon - Main Engine Cut Off Larry Lemke - Red Dragon: Low Cost Access to the Surface of Mars (SETI Talks) - YouTube Meet Scott Pace, the National Space Council's new executive secretary | The Planetary Society JAXA Interested in NASA’s Deep Space Gateway - Main Engine Cut Off To mine the Moon, private company Moon Express plans to build a fleet of robotic landers - The Verge How Moon Express could use robots to mine the Moon - YouTube Email your thoughts

XCOR laid off the rest of its staff and is closing up shop after losing a contract with ULA, which leaves ULA in an interesting spot for Vulcan-ACES. On the ULA side, they won their first Phase 1A contract from the Air Force, and the contract price sheds some light on just how much they’re cutting their costs. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 16 executive producers—Kris, Mike, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Laszlo, Jamison, Guinevere, Nadim, Peter, and four anonymous—and 56 other supporters on Patreon. XCOR Aerospace Lays Off Entire Staff But Intends To Keep Going XCOR Loses XS-1 and ULA ACES Contract, Announces Lay Offs - Main Engine Cut Off ULA wins competition for $191 million Air Force launch - SpaceNews.com United Launch Alliance Wins Competitive Contract Award to Launch the United States Air Force STP-3 M - United Launch Alliance Very interesting comments on STP-3 from Tory Bruno on the ULA subreddit NASA - NASA Selects Launch Services Provider for Juno Jupiter Mission Air Forc

SpaceX launched two missions last weekend, flew new titanium grid fins on Falcon 9, and are really picking up the pace. And Blue Origin got cozy with the Alabama Launch Alliance by announcing that they’ll build the BE-4 production facility in Huntsville—if the engine is chosen for Vulcan. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 15 executive producers—Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Laszlo, Jamison, Guinevere, Nadim, Peter, and four anonymous—and 55 other supporters on Patreon. SpaceX Doubleheader — Main Engine Cut Off NASASpaceflight on Twitter United Launch Alliance Issues Layoff Notices at Vandenberg AFB | Business - Noozhawk.com Blue Origin retains engine lead as House considers limitations on launch system funding - SpaceNews.com What just happened between Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin and Alabama? | AL.com Aerojet Rocketdyne bringing 800 rocket jobs to Alabama | AL.com The Alabama Launch Alliance - Main Engine Cut Off Thornberry Walks Back Vulcan Intervention - Main Engine Cut Off Email

Boeing’s proposal won Phases 2 and 3 of DARPA’s XS-1 program, and I’m pretty bummed about it. And the Air Force announced that SpaceX will launch the fifth X-37B mission in August. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 14 executive producers—Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Laszlo, Jamison, Guinevere, Nadim, and four anonymous—and 52 other supporters on Patreon. Thoughts on XS-1 - Main Engine Cut Off DARPA selects Boeing for spaceplane project - SpaceNews.com Bulgariasat launch realigns; SpaceX secures X-37B launch contract | NASASpaceFlight.com SpaceX will launch next secret X-37 Air Force mission - SpaceNews.com Tory Bruno says ULA didn’t get to compete for Air Force X-37B launch that went to SpaceX - SpaceNews.com Email your thoughts and comments to anthony@mainenginecutoff.com Follow @WeHaveMECO Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Google Play, Stitcher, or elsewhere Subscribe to the Main Engine Cut Off Newsletter Buy shirts and Rocket Socks from the Main Engine Cut Off Shop Suppo

Dr. Thomas Lang, Professor of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging at the UCSF School of Medicine, joins the show to discuss human health and physiology in space. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 13 executive producers—Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Laszlo, Jamison, Guinevere, and four anonymous—and 51 other supporters on Patreon. Thomas Lang | UCSF Profiles NASA Honors Two UCSF Scientists for Top Discoveries in Microgravity | UC San Francisco Browse Articles | npj Microgravity Towards human exploration of space: the THESEUS review series on muscle and bone research priorities | npj Microgravity The Space Show - March 7, 2017 - Dr. Francis Cucinotta on space radiation Study Reveals Immune System is Dazed and Confused During Spaceflight | NASA For an Immune Cell, Microgravity Mimics Aging | NASA Spaceflight alters expression of microRNA during T-cell activation. - PubMed - NCBI Spaceflight and simulated microgravity cause a significant reduction of key gene expression in early T-cell

Rand Simberg joins me to talk about his recent trip to the Space Tech Expo, the dawning of the age of in-space manufacturing, the future of SLS and Orion, the National Space Council, and a lot more. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 12 executive producers—Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Laszlo, Jamison, Guinevere, and four anonymous—and 50 other supporters on Patreon. Rand Simberg Transterrestrial Musings Safe Is Not An Option: Overcoming The Futile Obsession With Getting Everyone Back Alive That Is Killing Our Expansion Into Space Safe Is Not An Option on Amazon Space Tech Expo USA Loser of  ULA’s Vulcan engine downselect will likely lose Air Force funding - SpaceNews.com NASA inspector questions why agency built rocket test stands in Alabama | Ars Technica Virgin Orbit on Twitter The Long Space Age, by Alexander MacDonald DARPA selects Boeing for spaceplane project - SpaceNews.com Thoughts on XS-1 - Main Engine Cut Off Email your thoughts and comments to anthony@mainenginecutoff.com Fo

Last week was rough for the Space Launch System. An issue with weld tooling was discovered, with some serious consequences, and then a LOX tank dome was dropped and damaged beyond repair. To top it off, NASA announced that EM-1 will fly without crew, and is delayed until 2019. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 12 executive producers—Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Laszlo, Jamison, Guinevere, and four anonymous—and 46 other supporters on Patreon. NASA will not put a crew on EM-1, cites cost – not safety – as main reason | NASASpaceFlight.com SLS Core Stage team recovering from consequences of weld pin change | NASASpaceFlight.com NASA investigating damaged SLS tank section - SpaceNews.com Options for Staging Orbits in Cis-Lunar Space (PDF, 4.7MB) The Deep Space Gateway, Cislunar Staging Orbits, and Momentum - Main Engine Cut Off Email your thoughts and comments to anthony@mainenginecutoff.com Follow @WeHaveMECO Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Google Play, Stitcher, or elsewhere Sub

Eric Berger, Senior Space Editor at Ars Technica, joins me to talk SLS/Orion, New Space vs. Old Space, space policy in the Trump administration, and why the fight might not be settled until 2020. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 10 executive producers—Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Laszlo, and four anonymous—and 46 other supporters on Patreon. Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) | Twitter Eric Berger | Ars Technica Senior official: NASA will delay first flight of new SLS rocket until 2019 | Ars Technica EM-1 Officially Slips to 2019 - Main Engine Cut Off New Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act Coming Soon™ - Main Engine Cut Off Inside NASA’s daring $8 billion plan to finally find extraterrestrial life | Ars Technica The world’s two most powerful telescopes are glorious—and vulnerable | Ars Technica Email your thoughts and comments to anthony@mainenginecutoff.com Follow @WeHaveMECO Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Google Play, Stitcher, or elsewhere Subscribe to the Main Engine Cut

As the award date approaches for the 2018 Air Force launch vehicle development contracts, we keep hearing from Congress about how they would like to see it go. And I discuss the future of Antares and the Next-Generation Launch Vehicle in light of the continuing flights of Cygnus on Atlas V. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 9 executive producers—Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, and four anonymous—and 42 other supporters on Patreon. House Members Ask Air Force to Fund Vehicles, Not Components - Main Engine Cut Off House members ask Pentagon to stay the course on launch vehicle development - SpaceNews.com Thornberry Walks Back Vulcan Intervention - Main Engine Cut Off The Alabama Launch Alliance - Main Engine Cut Off Cygnus, Antares, Atlas V, and NGL - Main Engine Cut Off Email your thoughts and comments to anthony@mainenginecutoff.com Follow @WeHaveMECO Subscribe on iTunes, Overcast, or elsewhere Subscribe to the Main Engine Cut Off Newsletter Buy shirts and Rocket Socks from the Main Engi

SpaceX made history this week by launching SES-10 with a previously-flown first stage. I discuss implications of this achievement, the things we learned from Elon Musk in the post-flight press briefing, and the doubters, as always. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 8 executive producers—Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, and three anonymous—and 41 other supporters on Patreon. SES-10 Hosted Webcast - YouTube Press event with Elon Musk - Everyday Astronaut SES, SpaceX, and the Steady Beat of Progress - Main Engine Cut Off One More Step - Main Engine Cut Off SpaceX’s reusability effort faces one more big challenge — Space Intel Report Email your thoughts and comments to anthony@mainenginecutoff.com Follow @WeHaveMECO Subscribe on iTunes, Overcast, or elsewhere Subscribe to the Main Engine Cut Off Newsletter Support Main Engine Cut Off on Patreon

The last two weeks have been filled with a bunch of smaller stories—SpaceX’s GPS III bid win and upcoming SES-10 launch, ULA’s decision on Vulcan’s engines and Congress’ potential meddling, and the ISS beyond 2024. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 6 executive producers—Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, and two anonymous—and 39 other supporters on Patreon. SpaceX Wins GPS III Launch, More Info on Phase 1A - Main Engine Cut Off Issue #15 - Main Engine Cut Off The Alabama Launch Alliance - Main Engine Cut Off Thornberry Walks Back Vulcan Intervention - Main Engine Cut Off BE-4 Hydrostatic Bearings - Main Engine Cut Off Space Subcommittee Hearing- The ISS after 2024: Options and Impacts | Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Email your thoughts and comments to anthony@mainenginecutoff.com Follow @WeHaveMECO Subscribe on iTunes, Overcast, or elsewhere Subscribe to Main Engine Cut Off Weekly Support Main Engine Cut Off on Patreon

This week, Blue Origin shed some more light on New Glenn—by way of an animation, launch agreements, and a talk by Jeff Bezos at Satellite 2017—and the first fully-assembled BE-4 shipped to their test site in Texas for a hot firing. I discuss the new details we learned and how New Glenn will fit into the industry in the 2020s. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 6 executive producers—Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, and two anonymous—and 36 other supporters on Patreon. Introducing New Glenn - YouTube New Glenn Specs, Customers, and More - Main Engine Cut Off Eutelsat signs up for Blue Origin’s New Glenn launcher - Eutelsat Corporate Blue Origin on Twitter: “Five more launches for #NewGlenn! Excited to announce our second commercial customer #OneWebForAll” Jeff Bezos on Twitter: “1st BE-4 engine fully assembled. 2nd and 3rd following close behind. #GradatimFerociter” Decision on Vulcan engine could slip to 2017 - SpaceNews.com Blue Origin Sheds a Bit of Light on Its Rocket Program - Commercial Spac

This week is all about #hotdrama, with two surprise media briefings: one from NASA on a potential crewed EM-1, and one from SpaceX on a privately-crewed journey around the Moon—riding on a Dragon 2 and Falcon Heavy—at the end of 2018. I discuss the implications of both, and go on a rant about SpaceX and “focus.” This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 5 executive producers—Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, and one anonymous—and 34 other supporters on Patreon. NASA study to examine crewed SLS/Orion mission in 2019 - SpaceNews.com NASA measuring risks and “significant” cost of crew on maiden SLS launch | Ars Technica SpaceX to Send Privately Crewed Dragon Spacecraft Beyond the Moon Next Year | SpaceX If you think NASA is frustrated with SpaceX, you’re probably right | Ars Technica Email your thoughts and comments to anthony@mainenginecutoff.com Follow @WeHaveMECO Subscribe on iTunes, Overcast, or elsewhere Subscribe to Main Engine Cut Off Weekly Support Main Engine Cut Off on Patreon

Robert Lightfoot, the Acting NASA Administrator, sent a memo to the agency on the possibility of putting a crew on EM-1. I discuss the potential fallout from this idea and where the SLS/Orion program may be heading in the future. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 5 executive producers—Pat O, Matt, Jorge, Brad, and one anonymous—and 31 other supporters on Patreon. Acting NASA Administrator Lightfoot Memo: Agency Update – Feb. 15, 2017 A bolder, risk-taking NASA? Agency looking at Orion crew launch in 2019 | Ars Technica NASA developing contingency plan for commercial crew delays - SpaceNews.com S.2617 - 114th Congress (2015-2016): MANIFEST for Human Spaceflight Act of 2016 | Congress.gov | Library of Congress Issue #14 - Main Engine Cut Off The Intricate Dance of Orion, SLS, Commercial Crew, and Soyuz - Main Engine Cut Off The NASA-Boeing-Soyuz Transaction - Main Engine Cut Off Email your thoughts and comments to anthony@mainenginecutoff.com Follow @WeHaveMECO Subscribe on iTunes, Overc