エピソード

  • T+339: Starbase Louisiana, the Falcon Fade, and the Next Wave of Launch Vehicles

    T+339: Starbase Louisiana, the Falcon Fade, and the Next Wave of Launch Vehicles
    2026/08/28
    SpaceX officially announced Starbase Louisiana, and I break down why the site fits Starship’s launch, landing, and orbital architecture so perfectly. I also look at the transition from Falcon to Starship, and the new launch vehicles on the verge of debut. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 32 executive producers—Warren, Matt from Built, Theo and Violet, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Natasha Tsakos, Lee, Donald, David, Matt, Joonas, Russell, Steve, Frank, Will and Lars from Agile, The Astrogators at SEE, Josh from Impulse, Fred, Joel, Kris, Pat, Joakim, Miles O’Brien, Stealth Julian, Jan, Ryan, and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters. Topics SpaceX Launches New Era of Commercial Spaceflight with $100 Billion Louisiana Campus - Louisiana Economic DevelopmentSpaceX intends to invest up to $100 billion in massive Louisiana spaceport - Ars TechnicaEpisode 245 - Polar Bears and Penguins (with Jonathan Goff and Mike Loucks) - Off-NominalAAS Paper Review: RAAN Agnostic 3-Burn Departure Methodology for Deep Space Missions from LEO Depots (Part 1 of 2) | Selenian BoondocksAAS Paper Review: Practical Methodologies For Low Delta-V Penalty, On-Time Departures To Arbitrary Interplanetary Destinations From A Medium-Inclination Low-Earth Orbit Depot | Selenian BoondocksAn Updated Propellant Depot Taxonomy Part V: Human Spaceflight Fixed Depots (Low-Orbit) | Selenian BoondocksSpaceX on X: Ship 40 Reaches Christmas IslandShip 40 arrives at Christmas Island, Plans Return to Starbase - NASASpaceflightSpaceX on X: Ship 41 Single-Engine Static FireShip 41 Completes Engine Testing Ahead of Flight 14 - NASASpaceflightSatellite operators are in panic mode due to a worsening launch crisis - Ars TechnicaNova payload module, second stage, and Andromeda engine fit check - Stoke SpaceFirst three flight-one Zenith engines ready for acceptance testing - Stoke SpaceRocket Lab Announces Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results: Posts Record Revenue and Record Backlog, Guides To Another Record Revenue Quarter in Q3 2026 - Rocket LabRocket Lab Unveils GHOST Deployable Launch System to Enable Responsive Space Missions Worldwide - Rocket LabFirefly Aerospace Announces Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results With Record Revenue Of $117.7 Million, Up 659% Year-Over-Year - Firefly AerospaceTank problem delays first RFA launch - SpaceNewsRelativity Space engine integration milestone for Terran R first stage - NASASpaceflight The Show Like the show? Support the show on Patreon or Substack!Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to anthony@mainenginecutoff.comFollow @WeHaveMECOFollow @meco@spacey.space on MastodonListen to MECO HeadlinesListen to Off-NominalJoin the Off-Nominal DiscordSubscribe on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn or elsewhereSubscribe to the Main Engine Cut Off NewsletterArtwork photo by Zhou QuanWork with me and my design and development agency: Pine Works
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    36 分
  • T+338: Zhuque-3, Long March 10B, Chang’e-7 (with Andrew Jones)

    T+338: Zhuque-3, Long March 10B, Chang’e-7 (with Andrew Jones)
    2026/08/27
    Andrew Jones returns to the show to catch up on the Chinese space industry—the landings of Zhuque-3 and Long March 10B first stages, Chang’e-7 and its delay, and more. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 32 executive producers—Steve, Joakim, Ryan, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Joonas, Josh from Impulse, Fred, Will and Lars from Agile, Miles O’Brien, Natasha Tsakos, Lee, Warren, Russell, Stealth Julian, Kris, The Astrogators at SEE, Frank, Matt from Built, Theo and Violet, Joel, Donald, Pat, David, Jan, Matt, and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters. Topics China’s Landspace recovers booster with second orbital launch of Zhuque-3 rocket - SpaceNewsLandspace aims to refly recovered Zhuque-3 booster within six months - SpaceNewsLandSpace’s Zhuque-3 topples following milestone landing - NASASpaceFlight.comChina becomes second country to recover orbital booster with Long March 10B - SpaceNewsChina lines up methalox Long March 10C as commercial workhorse after first booster recovery - SpaceNewsChinese Long March 7A rocket explodes shortly after liftoff - SpaceNewsLong March 12 launches despite recent 7A failure, Long March 2C launches satellite for UAE - SpaceNewsChina delays Chang’e-7 lunar south pole landing mission launch - SpaceNewsLong March 6C launches 7 satellites, Chang’e-7 rocket rolled back to assembly building - SpaceNews The Show Like the show? Support the show on Patreon or Substack!Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to anthony@mainenginecutoff.comFollow @WeHaveMECOFollow @meco@spacey.space on MastodonListen to MECO HeadlinesListen to Off-NominalJoin the Off-Nominal DiscordSubscribe on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn or elsewhereSubscribe to the Main Engine Cut Off NewsletterArtwork photo by Zhou QuanWork with me and my design and development agency: Pine Works
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    48 分
  • T+337: Inversion Space (with Justin Fiaschetti, Co-Founder and CEO)

    T+337: Inversion Space (with Justin Fiaschetti, Co-Founder and CEO)
    2026/08/04

    Justin Fiaschetti, Co-Founder and CEO of Inversion Space, joins me to talk about the company’s plan to store maneuverable reentry vehicles in orbit for rapid cargo delivery, the design and architecture decisions driving Arc including cross-range requirements and payload accomodations, and how they see the market for these services.

    This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 32 executive producers—Russell, Fred, Natasha Tsakos, Matt, Joonas, Matt from Built, Josh from Impulse, Pat, Steve, David, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Joel, Stealth Julian, Ryan, Theo and Violet, Kris, The Astrogators at SEE, Miles O’Brien, Jan, Donald, Joakim, Frank, Will and Lars from Agile, Warren, Lee, and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters.

    Topics

    • Inversion
    • Arc - Inversion
    • Anduril, Team of Partners to Work on Space Force’s Space-Based Interceptors for Golden Dome for America | Anduril
    • Arc Orbital Supply Capsule Aims To Put Military Supplies Anywhere On Earth Within An Hour

    The Show

    • Like the show? Support the show on Patreon or Substack!
    • Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to anthony@mainenginecutoff.com
    • Follow @WeHaveMECO
    • Follow @meco@spacey.space on Mastodon
    • Listen to MECO Headlines
    • Listen to Off-Nominal
    • Join the Off-Nominal Discord
    • Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn or elsewhere
    • Subscribe to the Main Engine Cut Off Newsletter
    • Artwork photo by Zhou Quan
    • Work with me and my design and development agency: Pine Works
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    48 分
  • T+336: Rocket Lab Buys Iridium, New Glenn’s Pad Rebuild, and NASA Awards 4 CLPS Missions

    T+336: Rocket Lab Buys Iridium, New Glenn’s Pad Rebuild, and NASA Awards 4 CLPS Missions
    2026/07/02

    Rocket Lab is buying Iridium for $8 billion, Blue Origin has a new plan to get New Glenn flying again without rebuilding the same pad architecture, and NASA just awarded four new CLPS missions.

    This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 32 executive producers—Warren, Matt from Built, Theo and Violet, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Natasha Tsakos, Lee, Donald, David, Matt, Joonas, Russell, Steve, Frank, Will and Lars from Agile, The Astrogators at SEE, Josh from Impulse, Fred, Joel, Kris, Pat, Joakim, Miles O’Brien, Stealth Julian, Jan, Ryan, and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters.

    Topics

    • Rocket Lab to acquire Iridium - SpaceNews
    • Rocket Lab to Acquire Iridium in Historic Deal, Creating A
    • New Glenn Return to Flight - Blue Origin
    • NASA Awards More Moon Base Science, Previews New Opportunities
    • NextSTEP-3 B: Moon Base Demonstrations - NASA
    • Episode 154 - They Ran Into Us (with Matt Desch, CEO of Iridium) - Off-Nominal

    The Show

    • Like the show? Support the show on Patreon or Substack!
    • Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to anthony@mainenginecutoff.com
    • Follow @WeHaveMECO
    • Follow @meco@spacey.space on Mastodon
    • Listen to MECO Headlines
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    • Join the Off-Nominal Discord
    • Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn or elsewhere
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    • Artwork photo by SpaceX
    • Work with me and my design and development agency: Pine Works
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    25 分
  • T+335: Auriga Space (with Winnie Lai, Founder and CEO)

    T+335: Auriga Space (with Winnie Lai, Founder and CEO)
    2026/06/15

    Founder and CEO of Auriga Space, Winnie Lai, joins me to talk about their electromagnetic launch infrastructure and the path she sees for Auriga across space and defense markets. And yes, we talk about whether this kind of alternative launch architecture is a good fit for Earth, or a better fit for pretty much every other rock in the solar system.

    This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 32 executive producers—Steve, Ryan, Matt from Built, Russell, Joel, David, Kris, Joakim, Fred, Pat, Matt, Theo and Violet, Natasha Tsakos, Donald, Warren, Miles O’Brien, Will and Lars from Agile, Frank, Jan, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Josh from Impulse, Stealth Julian, Lee, Joonas, The Astrogators at SEE, and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters.

    Topics

    • Auriga - Electromagnetic Launch for Space and Defense
    • Auriga Space raises $6M to shoot rockets off an electromagnetic launch track | TechCrunch

    The Show

    • Like the show? Support the show on Patreon or Substack!
    • Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to anthony@mainenginecutoff.com
    • Follow @WeHaveMECO
    • Follow @meco@spacey.space on Mastodon
    • Listen to MECO Headlines
    • Listen to Off-Nominal
    • Join the Off-Nominal Discord
    • Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn or elsewhere
    • Subscribe to the Main Engine Cut Off Newsletter
    • Artwork photo by SpaceX
    • Work with me and my design and development agency: Pine Works
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    41 分
  • T+334: SpaceX the Outlier, and Organization Leadership (with Matt Gjertsen)

    T+334: SpaceX the Outlier, and Organization Leadership (with Matt Gjertsen)
    2026/06/09

    I often talk about SpaceX being an extreme outlier in the industry and how many organizations have tried to replicate their approach, but very few (if any) have been successful. Matt Gjertsen of Built joins me to share a take on what exactly it is internally that drives their results, how to apply it in other organizations, and to share some perspective on his time at SpaceX leading Training and Development, and from elsewhere in the industry.

    This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 32 executive producers—Steve, Ryan, Matt from Built, Russell, Joel, David, Kris, Joakim, Fred, Pat, Matt, Theo and Violet, Natasha Tsakos, Donald, Warren, Miles O’Brien, Will and Lars from Agile, Frank, Jan, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Josh from Impulse, Stealth Julian, Lee, Joonas, The Astrogators at SEE, and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters.

    Topics

    • Built Leaders
    • Minimum Viable Manager – Built Leaders
    • Why Steve Jobs drowned the first iPod prototype | Cult of Mac

    The Show

    • Like the show? Support the show on Patreon or Substack!
    • Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to anthony@mainenginecutoff.com
    • Follow @WeHaveMECO
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    • Join the Off-Nominal Discord
    • Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn or elsewhere
    • Subscribe to the Main Engine Cut Off Newsletter
    • Artwork photo by SpaceX
    • Work with me and my design and development agency: Pine Works
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    44 分
  • T+333: New Glenn Explodes on LC-36, Starship Flight 12, and NASA Moon Base Updates

    T+333: New Glenn Explodes on LC-36, Starship Flight 12, and NASA Moon Base Updates
    2026/05/29

    Blue Origin’s New Glenn blew up on LC-36 last night during a static fire test, Starship flew its 12th flight, and NASA had a series of updates on its Moon Base program, including LTV awards, launch and landing contracts, and a somewhat unexplained branding exercise.

    This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 32 executive producers—Lee, Steve, Josh from Impulse, Kris, David, Miles O’Brien, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Jan, Donald, Frank, Better Every Day Studios, Stealth Julian, The Astrogators at SEE, Ryan, Matt, Warren, Will and Lars from Agile, Pat, Fred, Joonas, Theo and Violet, Russell, Joel, Natasha Tsakos, Joakim, and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters.

    Topics

    • Here's why the failure of Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket is so catastrophic - Ars Technica
    • NASA takes steps toward building Moon Base, including discussing a "perimeter" - Ars Technica
    • NASA selects four companies for initial moon base awards - SpaceNews

    The Show

    • Like the show? Support the show on Patreon or Substack!
    • Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to anthony@mainenginecutoff.com
    • Follow @WeHaveMECO
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    • Listen to Off-Nominal
    • Join the Off-Nominal Discord
    • Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn or elsewhere
    • Subscribe to the Main Engine Cut Off Newsletter
    • Artwork photo by NASA/Bill Ingalls
    • Work with me and my design and development agency: Pine Works
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    31 分
  • T+332: Quantum Space (with Jim Bridenstine, CEO)

    T+332: Quantum Space (with Jim Bridenstine, CEO)
    2026/05/26

    Former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine has joined Quantum Space as CEO. We talk about what the company is working on, the Ranger spacecraft, how they fit into the industry, where he sees their market going, and what it’s like to be a former NASA Administrator running a company in the industry.

    This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 32 executive producers—Fred, Frank, Better Every Day Studios, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), David, Steve, Kris, Stealth Julian, Will and Lars from Agile, The Astrogators at SEE, Pat, Warren, Josh from Impulse, Miles O’Brien, Russell, Matt, Natasha Tsakos, Joakim, Lee, Theo and Violet, Joonas, Joel, Jan, Donald, Ryan, and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters.

    Topics

    • Quantum Space hires Bridenstine as CEO - SpaceNews
    • Quantum Space to build spacecraft in Tulsa - SpaceNews
    • Quantum Space acquires Phase Four propulsion assets - SpaceNews
    • Quantum Space raises $40 million - SpaceNews

    The Show

    • Like the show? Support the show on Patreon or Substack!
    • Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to anthony@mainenginecutoff.com
    • Follow @WeHaveMECO
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    • Join the Off-Nominal Discord
    • Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn or elsewhere
    • Subscribe to the Main Engine Cut Off Newsletter
    • Artwork photo by NASA/Bill Ingalls
    • Work with me and my design and development agency: Pine Works
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    37 分