MECO is opinion and analysis of spaceflight, exploration, policy, and strategy, by Anthony Colangelo.
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
T+284: Stoke Space (with Andy Lapsa, CEO)
1:01:08
1:01:08
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:01:08
Andy Lapsa, Co-Founder and CEO of Stoke Space, joins me to talk about the company, their vision for the future, their approach to launch, the larger trends that are shaping the market, and how that all might come together in the next few years. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 31 executive producers—Steve, Fred, Joonas, Bett…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
T+283: Starliner, Fram2, VIPER, Blue Moon (with Jeff Foust)
50:45
50:45
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
50:45
Jeff Foust of Space News joins me to talk about Starliner, Fram2, VIPER, Blue Moon, and everything else going on in space. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 31 executive producers—Jan, Warren, Pat from KC, David, Frank, Lee, Joonas, Josh from Impulse, Steve, Harrison, Russell, Joel, Bob, The Astrogators at SEE, Stealth Julian…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
T+282: Space Policy and Presidential Transitions (with Mark Albrecht)
57:07
57:07
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
57:07
Mark Albrecht joins me to talk about the state and future of space policy in a very dynamic Presidential election year. He shares some stories from the past, talks about his experience in presidential transitions and on the National Space Council, and ruminates on what we may see in November and beyond. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brough…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
T+281: Star Catcher (with Andrew Rush, President & CEO)
34:24
34:24
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
34:24
Andrew Rush returns to the show to talk about his new venture, Star Catcher. They are working to build an energy grid in space, beaming energy directly to existing solar panels on satellites in LEO. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 31 executive producers—Steve, Kris, Theo and Violet, Warren, Ryan, Josh from Impulse, Better E…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
T+280: VIPER Cancelled, Falcon 9 Grounded
26:30
26:30
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
26:30
NASA announced their intent to cancel VIPER, the rover that was due to go to the Moon on Astrobotic’s Griffin lander, after severe schedule and cost growth. SpaceX had a rare failure of Falcon 9 that has led to a (seemingly short) grounding of the vehicle. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 31 executive producers—Frank, Donald…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
T+279: Phantom and VLEO (with JP Ramos, Business Development Manager at Redwire)
37:00
37:00
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
37:00
A few weeks ago, we talked about Redwire’s SabreSat spacecraft, and today we’re talking about their Europe-based Phantom spacecraft. We talk about the spacecraft platform itself, how the different parts of Redwire work together, VLEO and its use cases, and how to fly satellites through little bits of atmosphere. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
T+278: Firefly Alpha’s New Launch Sites, ISS News Blitz (Deorbit Vehicle, Collins Spacesuits, and Starliner)
35:33
35:33
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
35:33
Firefly added launch sites in Virginia and Sweden for its Alpha vehicle. NASA has selected SpaceX to build the ISS US Deorbit Vehicle, closed out their task orders to Collins for ISS spacesuits, and decided to keep Starliner at the ISS for a few more weeks. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 33 executive producers—Joel, The As…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
T+277: SabreSat, VLEO, and DARPA’s Otter Program (with Spence Wise, SVP of Missions and Platforms at Redwire)
40:50
40:50
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
40:50
Redwire announced today that it has been awarded a contract from DARPA to serve as the prime mission integrator for its Otter program. For the program, and for the industry beyond that, they’ll be developing SabreSat, an air-breathing spacecraft flying in VLEO. Spence Wise, Senior Vice President of Missions and Platforms at Redwire, joins me to dis…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
T+276: Mars Sample Return Studies, NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1 Selections
19:28
19:28
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
19:28
NASA selected the organizations who will be carrying out mission design studies for the Mars Sample Return rethink, and the US Space Force selected the first 3 bidders for the National Security Space Launch Program Phase 3 Lane 1. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 33 executive producers—Lee, Kris, Joel, Ryan, Russell, Steve, …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
T+275: Starliner’s First Crew, Starship’s Fourth Flight
22:47
22:47
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
22:47
Starliner flew its first crew, Starship flew its fourth flight, Chang’e-6 collected its first samples, and Agnikul Cosmos flew its first mission. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 33 executive producers—Warren, Bob, Stealth Julian, Will and Lars from Agile Space, Harrison, Jan, Josh from Impulse Space, Russell, Lee, Donald, R…
…
continue reading
United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan debut went smoothly, but sluggish hardware integration raises doubts about meeting commitments, while Orion faces heat shield issues, potentially shaking up the Artemis manifest. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 33 executive producers—Lee Ryan, SmallSpark Space Systems, Benjamin, Pat, Lee, Fre…
…
continue reading
NASA is heading back to the drawing board for a Mars Sample Return architecture, and is accepting proposals for mission studies by May. I talk about a few takeaways from the communication of that plan, and ponder whether or not SpaceX is going to do the damn thing. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 33 executive producers—Lee,…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
T+272: Moon Rovers, Space Stations, and Starships
30:04
30:04
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
30:04
NASA selected 3 teams to work on unpressurized rovers for Artemis, while Japan signed on officially to provide a pressurized rover in exchange for seats on Artemis landers. Elsewhere, Mitsubishi took a stake in Starlab, and I still needed to catch up on Starship’s 3rd flight and the ensuing update from SpaceX. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
T+271: Checking in on the Chinese Space Industry (with Andrew Jones)
44:28
44:28
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
44:28
Andrew Jones returns to the show to catch up on the Chinese space industry—Tiangong, reusable launchers, constellations, and the Moon. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 35 executive producers—Tyler, Jan, Will and Lars from Agile Space, Benjamin, Warren, Pat, Russell, Craig from SpaceHappyHour.com, Theo and Violet, SmallSpark …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
T+270: K2 Space (with Neel Kunjur, Co-Founder and CTO)
37:43
37:43
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
37:43
Neel Kunjur, Co-Founder and CTO of K2 Space, joins me to talk about their vision for the future of satellites and the wider space industry, what they’ve been up to lately, and what their roadmap to the launch pad looks like from here. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 35 executive producers—David, Pat from KC, Joonas, Josh fr…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
T+269: IM-1 and Beyond (with Tim Crain, Co-Founder and CTO of Intuitive Machines)
1:03:59
1:03:59
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:03:59
Tim Crain, Co-Founder and CTO of Intuitive Machines, joins me to talk about their recent IM-1 mission to land Odysseus on the Moon as part of NASA’s CLPS program. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 36 executive producers—Russell, Chris, Josh from Impulse Space, Will and Lars from Agile Space, Warren, Ryan, Matt, Harrison, Lee …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
T+268: IM-1, CLPS, NASA Budget (with Eric Berger)
43:45
43:45
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
43:45
Eric Berger of Ars Technica joins me to talk about Intuitive Machine’s successful landing despite so many issues on the mission, the future of CLPS, and the tough questions facing NASA and its budget. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 36 executive producers—Tyler, Lee Hopkins, Better Every Day Studios, Joel, Jan, Will and Lar…
…
continue reading