Main Engine Cut Off

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...

This week, NASA officially announced that NanoRacks will be adding an airlock onto the International Space Station to add capabilities and capacity to their already-up-and-running business. That announcement, along with some early insight into NASA policy in 2017, got me thinking about commercial opportunities within government programs, beyond Commercial Cargo and Crew. This episode of Main Engin...

Marcia Smith of SpacePolicyOnline.com saw a draft of the 2017 NASA Transition Authorization Act , and it contains some very interesting changes from the 2016 version that bounced around Congress last year . I discuss what some of these changes may mean in the light of Commercial Crew delays, NASA RFIs regarding SLS and Orion , and continued Russian reliability issues . This episode of Main Engine...

Four members of the House of Representatives sent letters to DARPA and the Pentagon this week to file a complaint about a program in conflict with the 2010 National Space Policy. It’s a situation reminiscent of the debate over commercial use of retired ICBMs as low-cost launch vehicles, except this time, Orbital ATK is on the other side . I discuss the current issues and how their resolution may a...

SpaceX is off to a strong start in 2017 with a very successful launch of Iridium-1 and a promising next few weeks . I also discuss the very interesting story developing between NASA, Boeing, and Russia regarding Soyuz flights to the ISS. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 3 executive producers— Pat O , Matt Giraitis , and one anonymous—and 26 other supporters on Patreon . Iri...

While we don’t yet have hard details on which direction NASA programs are headed during the Trump administration, we have started to get some hints. The leadership of the Congressional subcommittees that NASA depends on will be largely unchanged , and Boeing and SpaceX were each promised 4 more Commercial Crew flights . I also talk a little bit about how the Air Force One and F-35 situations apply...

SpaceX wrapped up their investigation into the Amos-6 explosion, and the news is mixed. I discuss their findings, their path back to flight, and some other 2016-2017 odds and ends. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 3 executive producers— @spacepat_o , Matt Giraitis , and one anonymous—and 25 other supporters on Patreon . Anomaly Updates | SpaceX OneWeb gets $1.2 billion in S...

Inmarsat, under regulatory pressure to get flying, decided to take a mid-2017 launch slot on Ariane 5, moving away from Falcon Heavy . Everyone thinks it’s a big deal, but for the wrong reason. And SpaceX’s Commercial Crew flights have been delayed, but we did find out that NASA’s Safety Technical Review Board approved their plan to load crew before fueling . That is a big deal. This episode of Ma...

A Progress launch failed on its way to the ISS , so I discuss how this may affect the politics of the ISS and NASA going forward. And then I get into some thoughts on satellite servicing in general , and specifically surrounding Restore-L and Orbital ATK’s Mission Extension Vehicle . This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 3 executive producers— @spacepat_o , Matt Giraitis , and o...

Tory Bruno took to the stage to announce RocketBuilder , their new way to market and sell Atlas V launch services. I discuss my initial thoughts about it and what the announcement means for ULA going forward in the commercial market. Initial Thoughts on RocketBuilder - Main Engine Cut Off Introducing RocketBuilder - YouTube Press Conference: ULA Unveils Website to Transform How Launch Services are...

All signs point to SpaceX nearing a return-to-flight mission for Falcon 9. I discuss what to watch for in the months ahead, and read some email. SpaceX prime Falcon 9 rockets for December return | NASASpaceFlight.com With rockets on the move, SpaceX still aiming for 2016 return to flight | Ars Technica Matt Desch on Twitter : “A beautiful sight. Stage 1 arriving in California for our launch. Soon,...

Following up on last show’s topic , there are signs that NASA may be moving away from Orion in the future. I discuss how I see NASA modernizing their exploration roadmap, politically, in the next administration. As Trump takes over, NASA considers alternatives to its Orion spacecraft | Ars Technica Alternative NASA Exploration Crew Vehicles - Main Engine Cut Off Issue #4 - Main Engine Cut Off Emai...

NASA released an RFI for small scientific payloads bound for the lunar surface, meant to “address strategic knowledge gaps” associated with human missions to the Moon. I talk about how this could indicate a shift of the SLS/Orion roadmap, and how NASA may be focusing on lunar surface missions in order to build more political capital for the program of record. Lunar Commercial Cargo Lite - Main Eng...

In light of the recent Schiaparelli lander failure , I discuss the differences between missions supported by financial and political capital, and how those differences will play out in the next era of space exploration. ExoMars completes crucial orbit insertion, hope lost for lander | NASASpaceFlight.com Schiaparelli descent data: decoding underway / ExoMars / Space Science / Our Activities / ESA...

I took a trip down to Wallops Island, Virginia this week for the launch of OA-5—the return to flight for Antares, sending Cygnus up to the ISS on a resupply mission. I recorded this episode on the long drive home afterwards, and talked about what Antares’ return means for Orbital ATK and what their future may hold—both good and bad. My video of the launch of OA-5 , complete with incredible audio M...

Gwynne Shotwell, President of SpaceX, spoke at two events and dropped some tidbits about the Falcon 9 investigation , future versions of the vehicle, and what kind of discount they would offer for “flight-proven” stages. I break down the new info, and discuss their reusability discount . SpaceX's Shotwell on Falcon 9 inquiry, discounts for reused rockets and Silicon Valley's test-and-fail ethos -...

After a few busy weeks of Blue Origin and SpaceX news, I spend some time talking about ULA’s RapidLaunch program and how they are working to get competitive within the commercial market. WeMartians Podcast Episode 13: Making Humans Multiplanetary (feat. Anthony Colangelo) - Live Now! | WeMartians | Follow humanity's journey to Mars OA-5 Schedule and Coverage Plans - Main Engine Cut Off ULA Brandin...

Elon Musk took the stage at the IAC this week and unveiled SpaceX’s architecture for their planetary exploration and colonization plans . Jake from WeMartians and I discuss our initial reactions to and takeaways from the event. WeMartians | Follow humanity's journey to Mars Mars | SpaceX Making Humans a Multiplanetary Species - YouTube Full Presentation Slides (PDF) IAC - International Astronautic...

SpaceX is set to make an announcement next week at the IAC 2016 regarding their Mars colonization architecture. I talk about what we know, what I expect to see, and what I hope is included in their plans. IAC - International Astronautical Congress | September 26th - 30th 2016 Guadalajara, Mexico IAC 2016 ENG on Livestream WeMartians | Follow humanity's journey to Mars Inevitable SpaceX FUD - Main...

Blue Origin surprised us all by previewing their massive next rocket, New Glenn . I discuss the few details we know, how New Glenn could fit into the market, what questions need to be answered, and many other things to consider in the wake of the announcement. I also touch on some plans I’ve got to cover SpaceX’s upcoming Mars announcement in tandem with Jake from WeMartians . Blue Origin Previews...

Mike Johnson , Chief Designer at NanoRacks , joined me this week to talk about his incredibly interesting career in spaceflight, the past and future of NanoRacks , their NextSTEP proposal , and a handful of other topics. Mike Johnson | NanoRacks' Chief Technology Officer To boost commercial activity, NASA may add private airlock to ISS | Ars Technica NanoRacks To Catalyze Concepts for Deep Space H...

SpaceX has a busy manifest as they close out 2016, including SES-10 which will fly with a “flight-proven” first stage . A few bits of info have come out regarding Blue Origin’s future plans—including flying diverse payloads on New Shepard , and construction of their factory in Florda . Antares’ return-to-flight launch date is still a mystery , and I have a theory about its future engines. It’s Off...

Dr. Robert Zubrin, President of The Mars Society , creator of Mars Direct , and author of The Case for Mars is on the show this week to discuss Mars exploration and colonization internationally, within NASA, and at SpaceX. The Mars Society The Case for Mars, by Robert Zubrin Mars Direct - 1st Public Presentation 5/28/1990 - YouTube Mars Society President Tours Russia | News & Announcements | T...

NASA selected six companies, as part of the NextSTEP program, to develop ground prototypes of deep space habitats , and the Centaur could live on as a wet workshop. Orbital ATK pushed OA-5 to late September . SpaceX landed yet another stage on the ASDS, and have up to 9 more launches planned for 2016. NextSTEP Pushes Forward to Ground Prototypes - Main Engine Cut Off NextSTEP Partners Develop Grou...

Moon Express gained government approval for their upcoming mission to win the Google Lunar X Prize. And I go on a rant about artificial gravity and how NASA shrugs it off as unnecessary. Moon Express wins U.S. government approval for lunar lander mission - SpaceNews.com NASA exploration focuses on Deep Space Hab systems and crew health | NASASpaceFlight.com Gerstenmaier Shrugs Off Artificial Gravi...