Main Engine Cut Off

It happened! American astronauts on American rockets from American soil. Bob and Doug successfully launched, docked to the ISS, and joined Expedition 63. I talk about what this means for SpaceX, NASA, space policy, and where things go from here.This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 37 executive producers—Brandon, Matthew, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, John, Moritz, Joel, Jan, Grant, David, Mints, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Adam, and six anonymous—and 371 other supporters.TopicsNASA Astronauts Launch from America in Test of SpaceX Crew Dragon | NASAStation Welcomes First SpaceX Crew Dragon with Astronauts | NASASpaceX DM-2 Launch! Hang out and watch the prep, launch, and early orbital operations. - YouTubeCrew Demo 2 (Launch) - YouTubeCrew Demo 2 (Approach and Docking) - YouTubeMain Engine Cut Off on Twitter: “Fantastic clip, and a wonderful event from Dragon t

The head of human spaceflight at NASA resigned last week, just before the most important crewed launch the agency has seen in a decade. However, it appears as though the resignation is related to the Artemis program and its landers. I give some thoughts on the implications of the departure, and also cover a recent development in international space politics—the Artemis Accords.This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 37 executive producers—Brandon, Matthew, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, John, Moritz, Joel, Jan, Grant, David, Mints, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Adam, and six anonymous—and 371 other supporters.TopicsNASA human spaceflight head Loverro leaves agency - SpaceNews.comHere’s why NASA’s chief of human spaceflight resigned—and why it matters | Ars TechnicaDoug Loverro Resigns - SpacePolicyOnline.comHead of NASA’s human exploration program demoted as agency

NASA announced three contract awards for the Artemis Progam’s Human Landing System—a Blue Origin-led team, Dynetics, and SpaceX’s Starship. I talk through some thoughts on each landing system and what the future might hold for NASA, regarding both politics and decisions.This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 37 executive producers—Brandon, Matthew, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, John, Moritz, Joel, Jan, Grant, David, Mints, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Adam, and six anonymous—and 363 other supporters.TopicsNASA Selects Blue Origin, Dynetics, SpaceX for Artemis Human LandersNASA Names Companies to Develop Human Landers for Artemis Missions | NASABlue Origin's HLS National Team Mission to the Moon to Stay with NASA - YouTubeDynetics Lander Infographic (PDF, 5.1MB)SpaceX on Twitter: “A lunar optimized Starship can fly many times between the surface of the Moon and lu

Sean Mahoney, CEO of Masten Space Systems joins me to talk about everything they’ve been up to lately, from flights of their terrestrial vehicles out in Mojave, NASA’s Lunar CATALYST program, their recent Commercial Lunar Payload Services task order award, and some other projects like DARPA’s XS-1, the Broadsword engine, and XEUS.This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 37 executive producers—Brandon, Matthew, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, John, Moritz, Joel, Jan, Grant, David, Mints, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Adam, and six anonymous—and 361 other supporters.TopicsMasten Space SystemsMasten Space Systems (@mastenspace) / Twittermastenspace - YouTubeWhats the Point? — Masten Space SystemsLunar CATALYST | NASAXL-1 — Masten Space SystemsNASA Awards Contract to Deliver Science, Tech to Moon | NASAMasten Space Systems Will Deliver NASA and Commercial Payloads to the

Peter Beck, Founder, CEO, and CTO of Rocket Lab returns to the show to talk about how the industry is dealing with the pandemic, and to update us on their busy past few months, including their acquisition of Sinclair Interplanetary, flying missions to the Moon and beyond, and their work towards reusability.This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 37 executive producers—Brandon, Matthew, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, John, Moritz, Joel, Jan, Grant, David, Mints, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Adam, and six anonymous—and 357 other supporters.TopicsPeter Beck (@Peter_J_Beck) | TwitterRocket Lab | Frequent and reliable access launch is now a reality | Rocket LabRocket Lab (@RocketLab) | TwitterRocket Lab - YouTubeEpisode T+138: Peter Beck, Founder of Rocket Lab - Main Engine Cut OffRocket Lab executive says company is well positioned to weather crisis - SpaceNews.comRock

Tim Ellis, CEO and Cofounder of Relativity joins me for an in-depth discussion about Relativity’s status and work towards their first launch. We cover everything from their company vision, funding, new headquarters, wider fairing, customer backlog, potential west coast launch site, and dive into the details of Stargate and Relativity’s materials work.This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 37 executive producers—Brandon, Matthew, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, John, Moritz, Joel, Jan, Grant, David, Mints, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Adam, and six anonymous—and 354 other supporters.TopicsRelativity SpaceTerran — Relativity SpaceStargate — Relativity SpaceRelativity Space (@relativityspace) / TwitterTim Ellis (@thetimellis) / TwitterRelativity Space raises $140 million - SpaceNews.comRelativity to move headquarters to Long Beach - SpaceNews.comRelativity Space on Tw

A flurry of Commercial Crew news hit last week: new crew members were announced for SpaceX Crew-1, Jim Bridenstine shed some light on the DM-2 schedule, and Boeing will refly the Starliner uncrewed test flight. I break down each of those and talk through why those stories are more connected than was hinted at by NASA and others.This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 37 executive producers—Brandon, Matthew, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, John, Moritz, Joel, Jan, Grant, David, Mints, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Adam, and six anonymous—and 352 other supporters.TopicsNASA selects astronauts for Crew Dragon mission - SpaceNews.comNASA, SpaceX to launch astronauts in May despite coronavirus pandemicBoeing will refly botched Starliner test flight, setting back its hopes for sending people into space this year - The Washington PostBoeing Statement on Starliner's Next Fli

NASA selected SpaceX and their new Dragon XL vehicle as the first Gateway Logistics Services provider. I take some time to think through why SpaceX is interested in this program, what they might want to get out of it, and what we could see Dragon XL doing in the future.This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 38 executive producers—Brandon, Matthew, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, John, Moritz, Joel, Jan, Grant, Mike, David, Mints, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Adam, and six anonymous—and 352 other supporters.TopicsNASA Awards Artemis Contract for Gateway Logistics Services | NASANASA Seeks Information for Gateway Cargo Delivery ServicesEpisode T+124: Gateway Logistics Services, FY2020 NDAA, and Small GEO Satellites - Main Engine Cut OffNASA to pay more for less cargo delivery to the space station | Ars TechnicaSpaceX reveals the controls of its Dragon spacecraft for

After a tumultuous past few years, DARPA has selected a new partner for RSGS. It is none other than Northrop Grumman, who has found early success with their satellite servicing ventures.This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 38 executive producers—Brandon, Matthew, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, John, Moritz, Joel, Jan, Grant, Mike, David, Mints, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Adam, and six anonymous—and 349 other supporters.TopicsMEV-1 Docks with Intelsat 901 - Main Engine Cut OffMaxar/SSL Cancels DARPA RSGS Satellite Servicing Agreement - Main Engine Cut OffDARPA picks Northrop Grumman as its commercial partner for satellite servicing program - SpaceNews.comNorthrop Grumman’s Wholly Owned Subsidiary, SpaceLogistics, Selected by DARPA as Commercial Partner for Robotic Servicing Mission | Northrop GrummanNorthrop Grumman Successfully Completes Historic First Docking

SpaceX recently signed two agreements: one with Axiom Space to fly a private mission up to the ISS, and one with Space Adventures for a free-flying tourist flight up to 1,000 kilometers. I discuss these two missions and why agreements like this are key to SpaceX’s long-term strategy.This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 38 executive producers—Brandon, Matthew, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, John, Moritz, Joel, Jan, Grant, Mike, David, Mints, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Adam, and six anonymous—and 347 other supporters.TopicsAxiom Space plans first-ever fully private human spaceflight mission to International Space StationEpisode T+147: Mike Suffredini, President & CEO of Axiom - Main Engine Cut OffSpace Adventures Announces Agreement with SpaceX to Launch Private Citizens on the Crew Dragon Spacecraft - Space AdventuresNASA Awards Psyche Launch to SpaceX, Who

Tim Dodd, the Everyday Astronaut, joins me to talk all about SpaceX’s Starship, its history thus far, it’s nearly-impossible-to-keep-up-with development in the open, and what we may see in the coming months. We make some timeline predictions, talk about the predicament of Boca Chica, and both randomly stumble into completely unsupported theories.This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 37 executive producers—Brandon, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, John, Moritz, Joel, Jan, Grant, Mike, David, Mints, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd the Everyday Astronaut, Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Adam, and six anonymous—and 345 other supporters.TopicsEveryday AstronautEveryday Astronaut (@Erdayastronaut) / TwitterEveryday Astronaut - YouTubeStarship | SpaceXStarship Development Thread - r/spacexA conversation with Elon Musk about Starship - YouTubeIs SpaceX's Raptor engine the king of rocket engines? - YouTubeAre Aerospikes Better Than Be

Long-time head of human spaceflight at NASA, Bill Gerstenmaier, has joined SpaceX as a consultant, but everyone is excited for the wrong reasons. And SpaceX missed a booster landing on their most recent Starlink launch, which prompted a new round of debates over whether booster recovery is part of mission success or not.This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 37 executive producers—Brandon, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, John, Moritz, Joel, Jan, Grant, Mike, David, Mints, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd the Everyday Astronaut, Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Adam, and six anonymous—and 335 other supporters.TopicsSpaceX hires former NASA official William GerstenmaierGerst the Politician, Gerst the Engineer - Main Engine Cut OffStarlink Mission - YouTubeSpaceX launches fifth batch of Starlink satellites, misses booster landing - SpaceNews.comThe ShowLike the show? Support the show!Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to

Mike Suffredini, President and CEO of Axiom, joins me to talk about their recent announcement: Axiom has been selected by NASA for access to an ISS port. They will build out Axiom Station as an expansion of the ISS, and eventually operate it as a free-flying space station. Before Axiom, Mike was NASA’s ISS Program Manager for a decade.This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 37 executive producers—Brandon, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, John, Moritz, Joel, Jan, Grant, Mike, David, Mints, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd the Everyday Astronaut, Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Adam, and six anonymous—and 328 other supporters.TopicsAxiom SpaceAxiom Space - Overview and TeamNASA Selects First Commercial Destination Module for Space Station | NASAAxiom selected by NASA for access to International Space Station portAssembly Sequence: Watch the Axiom Segment of the ISS constructed module-by-moduleNASA Selects Axiom for ISS Node 2 Expa

Loren Grush of The Verge joins me to talk about a whole host of current topics—SpaceX’s in-flight abort test, Starliner’s shaky first test and its fallout, space traffic, Starlink, the NASA Authorization bill, and why ”Space is hard” is the worst mantra.This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 37 executive producers—Brandon, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, John, Moritz, Joel, Jan, Grant, Mike, David, Mints, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd the Everyday Astronaut, Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Adam, and six anonymous—and 329 other supporters.TopicsLoren Grush (@lorengrush) | TwitterLoren Grush Profile and Activity - The VergeVerge Science - YouTubeSpaceX successfully tests escape system on new spacecraft — while destroying a rocket - The VergeBoeing and NASA are forming an investigation team to figure out cause of spacecraft mishap - The VergeStarliner’s thruster performance receiving close scrutiny from NASA | Ars TechnicaStop

Caleb Henry of SpaceNews joins me to talk about the recent happenings in the satellite industry, including new ITU milestones for megaconstellations, SpaceX’s big year for Starlink, OneWeb’s progress, and DirecTV’s battery issue.This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 38 executive producers—Brandon, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, John, Moritz, Joel, Jan, Grant, Mike, David, Mints, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd the Everyday Astronaut, Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Adam, and six anonymous—and 325 other supporters.TopicsCaleb Henry, SpaceNews.comCaleb Henry (@CHenry_SN) / TwitterITU sets milestones for megaconstellations - SpaceNews.comSpaceX becomes operator of world’s largest commercial satellite constellation with Starlink launch - SpaceNews.comDirecTV fears explosion risk from satellite with damaged battery - SpaceNews.comBoeing says Spaceway-1 battery failure has low risk of repeating on similar satellites - SpaceNews.c

A look back at 2019 through the lens of “Who actually did something that matters this year?”This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 38 executive producers—Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, John, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Grant, Mike, David, Mints, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd the Everyday Astronaut, Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Adam, Sam, and six anonymous—and 325 other supporters.The ShowLike the show? Support the show!Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to anthony@mainenginecutoff.comFollow @WeHaveMECOListen to MECO HeadlinesJoin the Off-Nominal DiscordSubscribe on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn or elsewhereSubscribe to the Main Engine Cut Off NewsletterBuy shirts and Rocket Socks from the Main Engine Cut Off ShopMusic by Max Justus

Starliner’s flight test did not go as planned, and the US 2020 budget was passed, which creates Space Force and has big implications for NASA’s work.This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 38 executive producers—Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, John, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Grant, Mike, David, Mints, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd the Everyday Astronaut, Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Adam, Sam, and six anonymous—and 317 other supporters.TopicsStarliner anomaly to prevent ISS docking - SpaceNews.comNASA, Boeing Complete Successful Landing of Starliner Flight Test | NASAThoughts on Starliner - Main Engine Cut OffTrump Signs FY2020 Appropriations Into Law – SpacePolicyOnline.comArtemis Wins Only Lukewarm Support in Final NASA FY2020 Appropriation – SpacePolicyOnline.comTrump signs defense bill establishing U.S. Space Force: What comes next - SpaceNews.comThe ShowLike the show? Support the show!Email your thoughts, comments, a

Last week, I took a ride out to the AGI offices and sat down with Josh Poley and T.S. Kelso. We shot a handful of videos for AGI’s YouTube channel, the longest of which was this interview right here.I talked with T.S. Kelso about the history of CelesTrak.com and satellite tracking on the internet as a whole, as well as a few topics relevant to the modern day: satellite tracking and orbit reporting among operators, conjunction and collision monitoring, and space debris mitigation and management.Be sure to follow along with AGI’s channel as the rest of the videos go live throughout the week!This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 38 executive producers—Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, John, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Grant, Mike, David, Mints, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd the Everyday Astronaut, Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Adam, Sam, and six anonymous—and 314 other supporters.TopicsAnalytical Graphics, Inc. (AGI)ComSpOC | A

Dylan Taylor, Chairman and CEO of Voyager Space Holdings, joins me to talk about the new company, how it fits into the industry, his vision for space, and their first acquisition (and past MECO guest!), Altius Space Machines.This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 38 executive producers—Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, John, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Grant, Mike, David, Mints, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd the Everyday Astronaut, Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Adam, Sam, and six anonymous—and 314 other supporters.TopicsVoyager Space HoldingsDylan Taylor - Voyager Space HoldingsVoyager Space Holdings (@VoyagerSH) | TwitterDylan Taylor (@SpaceAdvisor) | TwitterAltius Space MachinesEpisode T+82: Jon Goff, Altius Space Machines - Main Engine Cut OffOneWeb and OneWeb Satellites bolster commitment to Responsible Space with advanced grappling technology from Altius Space Machines | OneWebSpace Holding Co. co-founder on why space a

Blue Origin successfully protested the US Air Force’s RFP for the National Security Space Launch program, which will have big implications for the way the current round of contract awards plays out. NASA added five new providers to the Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, including SpaceX and Blue Origin, and I’ve got some thoughts about the inclusion of those options in what is quickly becoming my favorite NASA program.This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 38 executive producers—Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, John, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Grant, Mike, David, Mints, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd the Everyday Astronaut, Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Adam, Sam, and six anonymous—and 310 other supporters.TopicsAir Force to revise selection criteria for launch procurement in wake of Blue Origin’s successful protest - SpaceNews.comRedacted GAO Decision (PDF)New Companies Join Growing Ranks of NASA Partners for Artemi