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,...
Apr 09, 2020•19 min•Ep. 153
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, D...
Apr 02, 2020•25 min•Ep. 152
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 ...
Mar 23, 2020•20 min•Ep. 151
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, ...
Mar 09, 2020•20 min•Ep. 150
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,...
Feb 28, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 149
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, Ru...
Feb 19, 2020•21 min•Ep. 148
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, W...
Feb 13, 2020•46 min•Ep. 147
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,...
Jan 31, 2020•54 min•Ep. 146
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 Everyda...
Jan 25, 2020•52 min•Ep. 145
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 Show Like the show? S...
Dec 31, 2019•20 min•Ep. 144
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 ano...
Dec 23, 2019•25 min•Ep. 143
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 managem...
Dec 16, 2019•42 min•Ep. 142
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 Ast...
Dec 13, 2019•36 min•Ep. 141
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...
Nov 27, 2019•23 min•Ep. 140
Richard Duke from the Surrey Space Center joins me to talk about their RemoveDEBRIS mission, which launched last year and carried out 4 different tests focused on space debris removal and management. 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...
Nov 21, 2019•39 min•Ep. 139
Peter Beck , Founder, CEO, and CTO of Rocket Lab , joins me to talk about what they’ve been up to with Electron and Photon , as well as some of their new offerings like ground station support through KSAT and Photon missions to the Moon . 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 Eve...
Oct 30, 2019•30 min•Ep. 138
Artemis and international politics were on display on the first day of IAC 2019, followed by strange-yet-politically-minded partnerships on the second day. 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...
Oct 28, 2019•17 min•Ep. 137
A few bits of follow-up on Starship to GTO , the Bridenstine-Musk show at SpaceX HQ , and flying to polar orbits from Florida . Meetup alert! Sunday, October 20, 2019 in Washington, DC. Hang out with me, Jake, and a ton of amazing people of space the night before IAC 2019 kicks off. Details at events.offnominal.space . This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 39 executive producers—Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, John, M...
Oct 12, 2019•18 min•Ep. 136
Jake Robins , host of WeMartians and my co-host on Off-Nominal , joins me for Part 2 of our conversation about SpaceX’s 2019 Starship update . Part 1 can be found over on WeMartians . Meetup alert! Sunday, October 20, 2019 in Washington, DC. Hang out with me, Jake, and a ton of amazing people of space the night before IAC 2019 kicks off. Details at events.offnominal.space . This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 39 executive producers—Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Nadim, ...
Oct 08, 2019•31 min•Ep. 135
I’ve got a special preview of MECO Headlines for the main feed this week, with news on Orion, NASA’s FY2020 budget, NEOCam’s legacy, Starship, and more. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 39 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, Rui, Julian, Lars, Tommy, Adam, Sam, and six anonymous—and 272...
Sep 27, 2019•17 min•Ep. 134
Kurt Klaus , Chair of the Lunar Exploration Analysis Group’s Commercial Advisory Board , joins me to talk about NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, and the wider potential for commercial flights to the Moon and beyond. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 39 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 ...
Sep 17, 2019•34 min•Ep. 133
SpaceX updated their SmallSat launch offering —dropping the price and increasing the number of flights. It certainly looks like they’ll be a force to be reckoned with in the small launch market. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 39 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, Rui, Julian, Lars, T...
Sep 12, 2019•10 min•Ep. 132
Andrew Rush, CEO of Made in Space , joins me to talk about their big new NASA contract for Archinaut One and the history, present, and future of in-space manufacturing. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 40 executive producers—Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Jamison, 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, Rui, Julian, Lars, Tommy, Adam, Sam, ...
Aug 31, 2019•43 min•Ep. 131
SmallSat was last week which meant a flurry of announcements. This year was launch heavy, so I break down some announcements from SpaceX , Arianespace , and Rocket Lab . This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 40 executive producers—Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Jamison, 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, Rui, Julian, Lars, Tommy, Adam, Sam,...
Aug 14, 2019•22 min•Ep. 130
Steve Altemus, President & CEO, and Dr. Tim Crain, VP of Research & Development, from Intuitive Machines join me to talk about their Nova-C lander, the Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, and their task order from NASA for a landing on the Moon in July, 2021. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 41 executive producers—Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Jamison, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, Jasper, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, John, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Gran...
Aug 05, 2019•48 min•Ep. 129
NASA terminated OrbitBeyond’s CLPS task order , opened CLPS up to more providers , and announced exciting partnerships with Blue Origin, SpaceX, and others. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 41 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, Robb, Tim Dodd the Everyday Astronaut, Frank, Rui, Julian, Lars, Tommy, Adam, Sam, and ...
Aug 02, 2019•20 min•Ep. 128
I share some thoughts on three important stories from this week: NASA quietly announced their intention to sole source the Gateway habitat to Northrop Grumman, Starhopper made its first flight , and Lockheed Martin invested in ABL Space Systems . This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 40 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, Joona...
Jul 28, 2019•21 min•Ep. 127
Two top NASA human exploration leaders—Bill Gerstenmaier and Bill Hill— have been ousted from their positions. I break down what this means for NASA and its plans, where things could go from here, and ponder whether these changes really matter. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 39 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,...
Jul 18, 2019•18 min•Ep. 126
Andrew Jones returns to the show to update us on China’s various efforts. We talk Chang’e-4 and Yutu-2 , the mysterious Long March 5 delay , and what the future of Chinese launch may look like. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 39 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, Robb, Tim Dodd the Everyday Astronaut, Frank, Rui,...
Jul 03, 2019•19 min•Ep. 125
NASA put out a draft RFP for Gateway Logistic Services , the House Armed Services’ Committee weighs in on the US Air Force launch contracting drama , and a new company building small geostationary satellites has emerged. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 40 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, Robb, Tim Dodd the Ever...
Jun 20, 2019•25 min•Ep. 124
