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Anthony Colangelo•mainenginecutoff.com

Science

Natural Sciences

Technology

MECO is opinion and analysis of spaceflight, exploration, policy, and strategy, by Anthony Colangelo.

Last refreshed: June 15th, 2026 at 12:04 PM ⓘ

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Episodes

T+5: Space Stations Around the Moon and Mars, ExoMars 2016, and China’s Momentum in Space

Orbital ATK and Lockheed Martin unveiled proposals for space stations around the Moon by 2020 , and Mars by 2028 . ExoMars 2016 completed a functionality analysis test ahead of its October arrival at Mars. China revealed plans for its third space station , and is set to launch a new rocket , with a new spacecraft, from a new launch site in June. Orbital ATK Advocates Cislunar Outpost as America's Next Step in Human Space Exploration | Orbital ATK News Room Mars Base Camp · Lockheed Martin Orbita...

May 25, 2016•17 min•Ep. 5

T+4: Boeing’s CST-100, SpaceX’s Dragon 2, and a Scorched Falcon 9

Boeing announced a 6 month delay in the schedule for their CST-100 crew vehicle. SpaceX’s Dragon 2 is in the lead to be the first Commercial Crew vehicle to fly. The most recently-returned Falcon 9 took a ton of damage on its way back to the drone ship and won’t fly again, but will provide a ton of data for SpaceX to use to make improvements to future Falcon 9 stages. Boeing delays first crewed CST-100 flight to 2018 - SpaceNews.com Starliner’s first complete hull mated at Kennedy; crew launch d...

May 18, 2016•14 min•Ep. 4

T+3: Falcon 9 GTO Mission Drone Ship Landing, Orbital ATK’s Current and Future Launch Vehicles

SpaceX landed another Falcon 9 first stage on their drone ship—this time on a GTO launch, which is a major milestone on their way to full reusability and Falcon Heavy flights . Orbital ATK’s Antares launch vehicle is set for an early July return to flight , and they’re in the planning stages of a new heavy-launch vehicle . Falcon 9 launches with JCSAT-14 – lands another stage | NASASpaceFlight.com SpaceX undecided on payload for first Falcon Heavy flight – Spaceflight Now Antares Fact Sheet Key ...

May 11, 2016•12 min•Ep. 3

T+2: SpaceX’s Red Dragon, Falcon Performance, and the Political Fallout of OA-6

SpaceX officially announced their first Red Dragon mission to Mars , which will pave the way for future missions. They also posted new performance metrics for Falcon 9 and Heavy, which position the launch vehicles very differently in the market. And a brief discussion of the potential political fallout over the OA-6 launch anomaly . By the Numbers: How close Atlas V came to Failure in this Week’s Cygnus Launch – Cygnus OA-6 | Spaceflight101 OA-6: Atlas V booster shortcomings due to MRCV anomaly ...

May 04, 2016•14 min•Ep. 2

T+1: The Near Future of NASA’s Orion and SLS Programs

An analysis of NASA’s human spaceflight programs, Orion and the Space Launch System . How we got here, where we’re going, and how things could shake out with an eventful November in US politics coming up. Space Launch System Orion Space Station Freedom Vision for Space Exploration Constellation Program Ares I-X KSC meeting portrays SLS as scrambling for a manifest plan NASA facilities, teams ramp up SLS flight production for 2018 maiden flight NASA moves to enforce early switch to EUS for SLS NA...

Apr 27, 2016•12 min•Ep. 1

T-0: The Near Future of US-Based Competitors

An analysis of the intricate dance between United Launch Alliance , SpaceX , and Blue Origin as we enter the next era of spaceflight. Launch Mega-Session at the 32nd Annual Space Symposium (Photo) ULA and SpaceX see the future of space launching very differently By the Numbers: How close Atlas V came to Failure in this Week’s Cygnus Launch Lockheed-Boeing rocket venture needs commercial orders to survive 55 years after Gagarin, ULA & Bigelow present commercial space stations United Launch Al...

Apr 20, 2016•18 min0

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