Main Engine Cut Off

Caleb Henry, Director of Research at Quilty Space, joins me to talk about EchoStar’s spectrum sales and constellation cancellation, SpaceX’s spectrum purchase, and the financials of Starlink. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 34 executive producers—Bob, Heiko, Creative Taxi, Josh from Impulse, Russell, Donald, Will and Lars from Agile, Matt, Steve, Lee, Joel, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Natasha Tsakos (pronounced Tszakos), The Astrogators at SEE, Better Every Day Studios, Ryan, Kris, Pat, Joakim (Jo-Kim), Stealth Julian, Warren, Theo and Violet, Jan, Joonas, Fred, David, and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters. Topics Quilty Space (@QuiltySpace) / XStarlink Financial & Strategic Analysis 2025 1H | Quilty SpaceSign Up Form | Quilty SpaceEchoStar sells spectrum to SpaceX, cancels MDA satellite contract - SpaceNewsEchoStar’s $23 billion spectrum sale clears path for direct-to-device constellation - SpaceNewsEchoStar orders initial MDA satellites for $5 billion LEO constellation - SpaceNewsThe Show Support the showPatreonSubstackanthony@mainenginecutoff.com@WeHaveMECO@meco@spacey.spaceMECO HeadlinesOff-NominalOff-Nominal DiscordApple PodcastsOvercastPocket CastsSpotifyGoogle PlayStitcherTuneInelsewhereMain Engine Cut Off NewsletterCMSEOPine Works

Casey Handmer, Founder of Terraform Industries, joins me to talk about the state of NASA in 2025, talent acquisition and retention, productivity, and so much more. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 34 executive producers—Kris, Joakim (Jo-Kim), Creative Taxi, Heiko, Joel, Frank, Josh from Impulse, The Astrogators at SEE, David, Jan, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Theo and Violet, Joonas, Stealth Julian, Donald, Warren, Matt, Pat, Steve, Fred, Bob, Lee, Natasha Tsakos (pronounced Tszakos), Will and Lars from Agile, Russell, Better Every Day Studios, Ryan, and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters. Topics Casey Handmer (@CJHandmer) / XCasey HandmerTerraform IndustriesNASA Is Worth Saving – Casey Handmer's blogEpisode 170 - Luckily, We Did All the Math (with Casey Handmer) - Off-NominalThe science behind clean hydrocarbons | The Freethink Interview - YouTubeThe Show Support the showPatreonSubstackanthony@mainenginecutoff.com@WeHaveMECO@meco@spacey.spaceMECO HeadlinesOff-NominalOff-Nominal DiscordApple PodcastsOvercastPocket CastsSpotifyGoogle PlayStitcherTuneInelsewhereMain Engine Cut Off NewsletterNASAPine Works

Tom Marotta of The Spaceport Company joins me to talk about the executive order this week focused on commercial space regulatory reform, what problems it seeks to solve, his experience on both sides of those issues, and how we should understand the positioning of the order. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 34 executive producers—Frank, David, Jan, Josh from Impulse, Steve, Ryan, Joakim (Jo-Kim), Lee, Creative Taxi, Theo and Violet, Fred, Pat, Donald, Better Every Day Studios, Stealth Julian, Bob, The Astrogators at SEE, Russell, Joel, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Matt, Natasha Tsakos (pronounced Tszakos), Kris, Warren, Heiko, Will and Lars from Agile, Joonas, and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters. Topics Tom Marotta (@thomasmarotta) / XTom Marotta | LinkedInThe Spaceport CompanyT+259: Tom Marotta, The Spaceport Company - Main Engine Cut OffEnabling Competition in the Commercial Space Industry – The White HouseTrump Issues Executive Order on Commercial Space – SpacePolicyOnline.comThe Show Support the showPatreonSubstackanthony@mainenginecutoff.com@WeHaveMECO@meco@spacey.spaceMECO HeadlinesOff-NominalOff-Nominal DiscordApple PodcastsOvercastPocket CastsSpotifyGoogle PlayStitcherTuneInelsewhereMain Engine Cut Off NewsletterNASAPine Works

Michael Moreno, VP of Strategy at Lunar Outpost, joins me to talk about what they’ve been up to at the company, the NASA Lunar Terrain Vehicle Services contract, the idea of services as a business on the Moon, and more. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 35 executive producers—Lee, Russell, Fred, The Astrogators at SEE, David, Matt, Theo and Violet, Warren, Josh from Impulse, Frank, Pat from KC, Steve, Pat, Creative Taxi, Jan, Stealth Julian, Better Every Day Studios, Kris, Heiko, Donald, Natasha Tsakos (pronounced Tszakos), Joel, Joakim (Jo-Kim), Will and Lars from Agile, Harrison, Joonas, Ryan, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Bob, and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters. Topics Home | Lunar OutpostLunar Voyage 1 Update Lunar Outpost Becomes First Company to Receive Payment for Space ResourcesNASA selects three companies to advance Artemis lunar rover designs - SpaceNewsLunar Dawn Team Awarded NASA Lunar Terrain Vehicle ContractLunar Outpost Signs with SpaceX for Starship Moon MissionThe Show Support the showPatreonSubstackanthony@mainenginecutoff.com@WeHaveMECO@meco@spacey.spaceMECO HeadlinesOff-NominalOff-Nominal DiscordApple PodcastsOvercastPocket CastsSpotifyGoogle PlayStitcherTuneInelsewhereMain Engine Cut Off NewsletterNASAPine Works

A special simulcast of this week’s Off-Nominal—the other show I do, if you somehow haven’t heard of it!—because it’s exactly the topic list with exactly the guest I had up next on my list. I’m joined by Adrian Beil of NASASpaceflight to talk about the recent mayhem at Starbase, and to kick around European space policy topics in the run up to the ESA Ministerial later this year. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 34 executive producers—Creative Taxi, David, Donald, Matt, Frank, Better Every Day Studios, Warren, Bob, Russell, Pat from KC, Pat, Lee, Joel, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Ryan, Josh from Impulse, Joonas, Natasha Tsakos (pronounced Tszakos), Heiko, Will and Lars from Agile, Fred, Kris, Stealth Julian, Joakim (Jo-Kim), Theo and Violet, Jan, Steve, The Astrogators at SEE, and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters. Topics Adrian Beil (@BCCarCounters) / TwitterAdrian Beil, Author at NASASpaceFlight.comOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 202 - Rapidly Adjusting (with Adrian Beil) - YouTubeFollowing the Loss of Ship 36, SpaceX now Focuses on Rebuilding Masseys - NASASpaceFlight.comJack Beyer on XNorthrop Grumman tests SLS Block 2 BOLE booster in Utah; nozzle issue seen - NASASpaceFlight.comESA studying impacts of proposed NASA budget cuts - SpaceNewsESA moving ahead with ‘resilience from space’ satellite imaging program - SpaceNewsThe Show Support the showPatreonSubstackanthony@mainenginecutoff.com@WeHaveMECO@meco@spacey.spaceMECO HeadlinesOff-NominalOff-Nominal DiscordApple PodcastsOvercastPocket CastsSpotifyGoogle PlayStitcherTuneInelsewhereMain Engine Cut Off NewsletterNASAPine Works

Lori Garver, former NASA Deputy Administrator, joins me to talk about the chaos of the last week: the withdraw of Jared Isaacman’s nomination for NASA Administrator, Starship Flight 9, and of course, the wild public breakup of Elon Musk and President Trump. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 33 executive producers—David, Donald, Matt, Frank, Better Every Day Studios, Warren, Bob, Russell, Pat from KC, Pat, Lee, Joel, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Ryan, Josh from Impulse, Joonas, Natasha Tsakos (pronounced Tszakos), Heiko, Will and Lars from Agile, Fred, Kris, Stealth Julian, Joakim (Jo-Kim), Theo and Violet, Jan, Steve, The Astrogators at SEE, and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters. Topics Musk-Trump dispute includes threats to SpaceX contracts - SpaceNewsIsaacman: people with ‘axes to grind’ about Musk caused withdrawn NASA nomination - SpaceNewsWhite House to withdraw Isaacman nomination to lead NASA - SpaceNewsNASA Copes with Details of $6 Billion Budget Cut, Leadership Uncertainty – SpacePolicyOnline.comNASA withdraws support for conferences - SpaceNewsCruz seeks $10 billion for NASA programs in budget reconciliation bill - SpaceNewsStarship breaks up on reentry after loss of attitude control - SpaceNewsStatus Update on ispace Mission 2 SMBC x HAKUTO-R Venture Moon | ispaceThe Show Support the showPatreonSubstackanthony@mainenginecutoff.com@WeHaveMECO@meco@spacey.spaceMECO HeadlinesOff-NominalOff-Nominal DiscordApple PodcastsOvercastPocket CastsSpotifyGoogle PlayStitcherTuneInelsewhereMain Engine Cut Off NewsletterNASAPine Works

Mark Albrecht joins me to talk about his time on the Trump 2024 Transition Team, the thinking behind some of the policy decisions we’re starting to see in the space and national security spheres, and more. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 33 executive producers—Joonas, The Astrogators at SEE, Will and Lars from Agile, Theo and Violet, Frank, Russell, Kris, Bob, Lee, Pat, Ryan, Fred, Matt, Heiko, Pat from KC, Joakim (Jo-Kim), Donald, Josh from Impulse, Stealth Julian, Jan, Steve, Better Every Day Studios, Warren, David, Joel, Natasha Tsakos (pronounced Tszakos), Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters. Topics Mark Albrecht (@MarkAlbrecht68) / XFalling Back To Earth: A First Hand Account Of The Great Space Race And The End Of The Cold War: Albrecht, Mark: 9780615447094: Amazon.com: BooksMark Albrecht on XSecond Trump administration begins with confusion on acting NASA leadership - SpaceNewsWhite House budget proposal would phase out SLS and Orion, scale back ISS operations - SpaceNewsNASA budget proposal draws strong criticism - SpaceNewsSpace Force chief makes case for increased funding before House panel - SpaceNewsThe Show Support the showPatreonSubstackanthony@mainenginecutoff.com@WeHaveMECO@meco@spacey.spaceMECO HeadlinesOff-NominalOff-Nominal DiscordApple PodcastsOvercastPocket CastsSpotifyGoogle PlayStitcherTuneInelsewhereMain Engine Cut Off NewsletterNASAPine Works

We take a tour of Marotta Controls in Montville, New Jersey, to see how they work, how they develop, produce, and test products at rate, and we learn about the most feared topic in space—valves! This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 33 executive producers—Joonas, Josh from Impulse, Heiko, Donald, Stealth Julian, Warren, Kris, Frank, Steve, Bob, Better Every Day Studios, The Astrogators at SEE, Joakim (Jo-Kim), Fred, Matt, Pat from KC, Natasha Tsakos (pronounced Tszakos), Joel, Theo and Violet, Russell, Jan, Pat, Ryan, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), David, Will and Lars from Agile, Lee, and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters. Topics Controls Engineering | Control System Company | MarottaSpace Controls | Spacecraft Control Systems | MarottaMarotta’s post with photos of my tourBrian’s photo of a thruster firingThe Show Support the showPatreonSubstackanthony@mainenginecutoff.com@WeHaveMECO@meco@spacey.spaceMECO HeadlinesOff-NominalOff-Nominal DiscordApple PodcastsOvercastPocket CastsSpotifyGoogle PlayStitcherTuneInelsewhereMain Engine Cut Off NewsletterNASAPine Works

Caleb Henry, Director of Research at Quilty Space, joins me to talk megaconstellations, the hypersonics industry, and more. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 33 executive producers—Joonas, Josh from Impulse, Heiko, Donald, Stealth Julian, Warren, Kris, Frank, Steve, Bob, Better Every Day Studios, The Astrogators at SEE, Joakim (Jo-Kim), Fred, Matt, Pat from KC, Natasha Tsakos (pronounced Tszakos), Joel, Theo and Violet, Russell, Jan, Pat, Ryan, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), David, Will and Lars from Agile, Lee, and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters. Topics Caleb Henry (@ChenrySpace) / XThe OneWeb Book | Caleb Henry | SubstackQuilty SpaceArmed services committees propose $150 billion funding boost for defense - SpaceNewsUrsa Major wins $28.5 million Air Force contract to flight-test Draper engine for hypersonic use - SpaceNewsUnited Airlines bumps GEO operators off fleet for Starlink Wi-Fi - SpaceNewsFree Starlink Wi-Fi now on most Hawaiian Airlines transpacific fleet - SpaceNewsAtlas launches first operational Project Kuiper satellites - SpaceNewsProject Kuiper on XHere’s your first look at Project Kuiper’s low-cost customer terminalsAssessing Kuiper’s Satellite Manufacturing Delays — Quilty SpaceElon vs EchoStar: Starlink’s RF Snitch Mission, Explained | QuickTakes — Quilty SpaceThe Show Support the showPatreonSubstackanthony@mainenginecutoff.com@WeHaveMECO@meco@spacey.spaceMECO HeadlinesOff-NominalOff-Nominal DiscordApple PodcastsOvercastPocket CastsSpotifyGoogle PlayStitcherTuneInelsewhereMain Engine Cut Off NewsletterNASAPine Works

Jared Isaacman was in Congress for a confirmation hearing for his nomination as NASA Administrator, which was followed up by reports of huge proposed budget cuts at NASA and NOAA. And as expected, SpaceX, ULA, and Blue Origin all received awards for NSSL Phase 3 Lane 2. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 33 executive producers—nt, Frank, Joonas, Will and Lars from Agile, Pat from KC, Joakim (Jo-Kim), Josh from Impulse, Pat, Bob, Warren, Heiko, Steve, Theo and Violet, David, Kris, Donald, Joel, Fred, Jan, Lee, Russell, The Astrogators at SEE, Ryan, Matt, Stealth Julian, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Better Every Day Studios, and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters. Topics Isaacman Insists NASA Can Pursue Moon and Mars Goals Simultaneously – SpacePolicyOnline.comTrump White House budget proposal eviscerates science funding at NASA - Ars TechnicaPlanetary Science Caucus Co-Chairs Bacon & Chu Statement on White House’s Proposed Budget Cuts to NASA Science | U.S. Representative Don BaconNOAA budget proposal would affect weather satellite, other space programs - SpaceNewsSpaceX, ULA, Blue Origin win $13.7 billion in U.S. military launch contracts through 2029 - SpaceNewsSpace Force reassigns GPS satellite launch from ULA to SpaceX - SpaceNewsSpaceX secures majority of NSSL Phase 3 fiscal year 2025 missions - SpaceNewsThe Show Support the showPatreonSubstackanthony@mainenginecutoff.com@WeHaveMECO@meco@spacey.spaceMECO HeadlinesOff-NominalOff-Nominal DiscordApple PodcastsOvercastPocket CastsSpotifyGoogle PlayStitcherTuneInelsewhereMain Engine Cut Off NewsletterFireflyPine Works

Eric Berger of Ars Technica joins me to talk about his recent interviews with Butch and Suni in the aftermath of their flight, the update NASA put out about Starliner, and how it all lands from where we are now. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 32 executive producers—Ryan, David, Theo and Violet, Fred, Steve, Warren, The Astrogators at SEE, Matt, Pat, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Joakim (Jo-Kim), Will and Lars from Agile, Josh from Impulse, Joonas, Russell, Bob, Donald, Pat from KC, Jan, Heiko, Stealth Julian, Lee, Joel, Better Every Day Studios, Kris, and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters. Topics Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) / XEric Berger | Ars TechnicaStarliner’s flight to the space station was far wilder than most of us thought - Ars TechnicaNASA to put Starliner’s thrusters through an extensive workout before next launch - Ars TechnicaNASA likely to significantly delay the launch of Crew 9 due to Starliner issues - Ars TechnicaThe Show Support the showPatreonSubstackanthony@mainenginecutoff.com@WeHaveMECO@meco@spacey.spaceMECO HeadlinesOff-NominalOff-Nominal DiscordApple PodcastsOvercastPocket CastsSpotifyGoogle PlayStitcherTuneInelsewhereMain Engine Cut Off NewsletterFireflyPine Works

Eric Schmidt has taken a majority stake in Relativity and will serve as its CEO, so this is a good time to check in on their plans. Rocket Lab is planning to acquire Mynaric, and I have a theory I felt like I needed to float. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 32 executive producers—Matt, Donald, Frank, David, Lee, Will and Lars from Agile, Kris, Pat from KC, Joel, Bob, The Astrogators at SEE, Joakim (Jo-Kim), Steve, Josh from Impulse, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Warren, Better Every Day Studios, Ryan, Heiko, Joonas, Pat, Jan, Fred, Stealth Julian, Theo and Violet, Russell, and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters. Topics Eric Schmidt Joins Relativity Space as C.E.O. - The New York TimesFormer Google CEO Eric Schmidt is the new leader of Relativity Space - Ars TechnicaRelativity Space makes significant progress on Terran R; flight hardware in production - NASASpaceFlight.comRelativity names Eric Schmidt as CEO as it updates Terran R development - SpaceNewsTo avoid the Panama Canal, Relativity Space is moving some operations to Texas - Ars TechnicaRocket Lab to expand into laser communications with Mynaric acquisition - SpaceNewsThe Show Support the showPatreonSubstackanthony@mainenginecutoff.com@WeHaveMECO@meco@spacey.spaceMECO HeadlinesOff-NominalOff-Nominal DiscordApple PodcastsOvercastPocket CastsSpotifyGoogle PlayStitcherTuneInelsewhereMain Engine Cut Off NewsletterFireflyPine Works

Josh Dinner of Space.com joins me to talk about a wild week in space—Firefly’s Blue Ghost 1, Intuitive Machines’ IM-2, SpaceX’s Starship Flight 8, Rocket Lab announcements, and more. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 32 executive producers—Stealth Julian, Kris, Heiko, Pat, Jan, Warren, Josh from Impulse, Ryan, Lee, Joel, David, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Matt, Pat from KC, Will and Lars from Agile, Joonas, Donald, Bob, Frank, Joakim (Jo-Kim), Steve, Theo and Violet, Better Every Day Studios, Fred, Russell, The Astrogators at SEE, and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters. Topics Josh Dinner (@JoshDinner) / XArticles by Josh Dinner, Staff Writer, Spaceflight | SpaceIM-2 lunar lander mission ends - SpaceNewsAstroForge | Odin't: A Complete Debrief of Our Deep Space MissionStarship destroyed on second consecutive test flight - SpaceNewsStarship’s Eighth Flight Test - SpaceX - LaunchesRocket Lab Announces Flatellite: A New Satellite Designed for Mass Manufacture and Tailored for Large Constellations | Rocket LabRocket Lab Reveals Ocean Platform for Neutron Rocket Landings at Sea | Rocket LabThe Show Support the showPatreonSubstackanthony@mainenginecutoff.com@WeHaveMECO@meco@spacey.spaceMECO HeadlinesOff-NominalOff-Nominal DiscordApple PodcastsOvercastPocket CastsSpotifyGoogle PlayStitcherTuneInelsewhereMain Engine Cut Off NewsletterFireflyPine Works

Former Congressman and NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine joins me to talk space policy, then and now: CLPS, Commercial Space Stations, Artemis, international partnerships, and more. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 32 executive producers—Stealth Julian, Kris, Heiko, Pat, Jan, Warren, Josh from Impulse, Ryan, Lee, Joel, David, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Matt, Pat from KC, Will and Lars from Agile, Joonas, Donald, Bob, Frank, Joakim (Jo-Kim), Steve, Theo and Violet, Better Every Day Studios, Fred, Russell, The Astrogators at SEE, and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters. Topics Home | The Artemis GroupTouchdown! Carrying NASA Science, Firefly’s Blue Ghost Lands on Moon - NASAFirefly’s Blue Ghost 1 lands on the moon - SpaceNewsBlue Ghost Mission 1 - Firefly AerospaceFalcon 9 launches second Intuitive Machines lunar lander - SpaceNewsHouse Committee Backs Moon-to-Mars, But Changes May Be Needed – SpacePolicyOnline.comThe Show Support the showPatreonSubstackanthony@mainenginecutoff.com@WeHaveMECO@meco@spacey.spaceMECO HeadlinesOff-NominalOff-Nominal DiscordApple PodcastsOvercastPocket CastsSpotifyGoogle PlayStitcherTuneInelsewhereMain Engine Cut Off NewsletterFireflyPine Works

Matthew Weinzierl and Brendan Rosseau join me to talk about their new book, Space to Grow: Unlocking the Final Economic Frontier. We talk about the economics driving the space industry today, how traditional economic theories apply—or not!—to the industry, and how to use economics as a lens to shape your business and policy approach to the future. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 31 executive producers—Josh from Impulse, Russell, Joakim (Jo-Kim), Ryan, Lee, Fred, Pat from KC, Steve, David, Stealth Julian, Joel, Jan, Frank, Matt, Bob, Pat, Better Every Day Studios, Joonas, Donald, Warren, Theo and Violet, Kris, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), The Astrogators at SEE, Will and Lars from Agile, and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters. Topics Space to Grow: Unlocking the Final Economic Frontier: Weinzierl, Matthew, Rosseau, Brendan: 9781647827168: Amazon.com: BooksEconomics of Space | Economics of SpaceThe Show Support the showPatreonSubstackanthony@mainenginecutoff.com@WeHaveMECO@meco@spacey.spaceMECO HeadlinesOff-NominalOff-Nominal DiscordApple PodcastsOvercastPocket CastsSpotifyGoogle PlayStitcherTuneInelsewhereMain Engine Cut Off NewsletterBlue OriginPine Works

Eric Berger of Ars Technica joins me to talk about Elon Musk and the whirlwind start of the second Trump administration, and what the future may hold for SLS. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 31 executive producers—Will and Lars from Agile, Fred, The Astrogators at SEE, Ryan, Stealth Julian, Warren, Joakim (Jo-Kim), Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), David, Frank, Lee, Joonas, Josh from Impulse, Joel, Matt, Steve, Pat, Bob, Pat from KC, Theo and Violet, Better Every Day Studios, Donald, Jan, Russell, Kris, and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters. Topics Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) / XEric Berger | Ars TechnicaBoeing has informed its employees of uncertainty in future SLS contracts - Ars TechnicaNASA will swap Dragon spacecraft on the ground to return Butch and Suni sooner - Ars TechnicaConcern about SpaceX influence at NASA grows with new appointee - Ars TechnicaThe Show Support the showPatreonSubstackanthony@mainenginecutoff.com@WeHaveMECO@meco@spacey.spaceMECO HeadlinesOff-NominalOff-Nominal DiscordApple PodcastsOvercastPocket CastsSpotifyGoogle PlayStitcherTuneInelsewhereMain Engine Cut Off NewsletterBlue OriginPine Works

Jonathan McDowell—astrophysicist at Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and the namesake of the McDowell Line at 80 kilometers—joins me to talk about his fundraiser to move his epic space library to a new, permanent home. Let’s help him out! This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 32 executive producers—Frank, Lee, Joel, Theo and Violet, Harrison, Josh from Impulse, Matt, Warren, Will and Lars from Agile, Donald, Russell, Kris, Fred, Better Every Day Studios, Pat from KC, Joakim, Steve, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Ryan, Pat, David, Stealth Julian, Bob, The Astrogators at SEE, Jan, Joonas, and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters. Topics Fundraiser by Jonathan McDowell : Fund Jonathan's Space Report Library TransitionJonathan's Space ReportJonathan McDowell (@planet4589.bsky.social) — BlueskyJonathan McDowell (@planet4589) / XThe edge of space: Revisiting the Karman Line - ScienceDirectT+105: Jonathan McDowell - Main Engine Cut OffThe Show Support the showPatreonSubstackanthony@mainenginecutoff.com@WeHaveMECO@meco@spacey.spaceMECO HeadlinesOff-NominalOff-Nominal DiscordApple PodcastsOvercastPocket CastsSpotifyGoogle PlayStitcherTuneInelsewhereMain Engine Cut Off NewsletterSpaceXPine Works

Blue Origin flew New Glenn successfully for the first time, and SpaceX flew Starship for the seventh time. Both featured failures at different points of the flight, with the impacts on Starship being significantly bigger than those on New Glenn. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 32 executive producers—Frank, Lee, Joel, Theo and Violet, Harrison, Josh from Impulse, Matt, Warren, Will and Lars from Agile, Donald, Russell, Kris, Fred, Better Every Day Studios, Pat from KC, Joakim, Steve, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Ryan, Pat, David, Stealth Julian, Bob, The Astrogators at SEE, Jan, Joonas, and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters. Topics New Glenn reaches orbit on first launch - SpaceNewsFAA requires mishap investigation for failed New Glenn landing - SpaceNewsStarship’s Seventh Flight Test - SpaceX - LaunchesStarship upper stage lost on seventh test flight - SpaceNewsFAA investigating Starship debris reports - SpaceNewsThe Show Support the showPatreonSubstackanthony@mainenginecutoff.com@WeHaveMECO@meco@spacey.spaceMECO HeadlinesOff-NominalOff-Nominal DiscordApple PodcastsOvercastPocket CastsSpotifyGoogle PlayStitcherTuneInelsewhereMain Engine Cut Off NewsletterSpaceXPine Works

Axiom Space announced changes to their station build out plan, bringing free-flying capability forward in their timeline and switching to a berthing port at the ISS to avoid the US Deorbit Vehicle. Firefly won another CLPS task order, this time for a lander with a rover, and for quite a bit more money than the last few. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 32 executive producers—Josh from Impulse, Fred, Kris, Will and Lars from Agile, Pat, Ryan, Donald, Joel, Better Every Day Studios, Joakim (Jo-Kim), Jan, David, Pat from KC, Bob, Harrison, Joonas, Steve, Warren, The Astrogators at SEE, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Russell, Lee, Matt, Stealth Julian, Theo and Violet, Frank, and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters. Topics Axiom Space revises space station assembly plans - SpaceNewsAxiom Space Accelerates Axiom Station AssemblyAxiom Station — Axiom SpaceMore NASA Science, Tech will Fly to Moon Aboard Future Firefly Flight - NASAThe Show Support the showanthony@mainenginecutoff.com@WeHaveMECO@meco@spacey.spaceMECO HeadlinesOff-NominalOff-Nominal DiscordApple PodcastsOvercastPocket CastsSpotifyGoogle PlayStitcherTuneInelsewhereMain Engine Cut Off NewsletterSpaceXPine Works

Jared Isaacman, the man with a private space program, has been nominated NASA Administrator, to run the nation’s space program. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 32 executive producers—Frank, Lee, Joel, Theo and Violet, Harrison, Josh from Impulse, Matt, Warren, Will and Lars from Agile, Donald, Russell, Kris, Fred, Better Every Day Studios, Pat from KC, Joakim, Steve, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Ryan, Pat, David, Stealth Julian, Bob, The Astrogators at SEE, Jan, Joonas, and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters. Topics T+287: Polaris Dawn (with Jared Isaacman) - Main Engine Cut OffT+288: The Return of President Trump - Main Engine Cut OffJared Isaacman Tapped to be Next NASA Administrator – SpacePolicyOnline.comTrump selects Isaacman to be NASA administrator - SpaceNewsHow did the CEO of an online payments firm become the nominee to lead NASA? - Ars TechnicaThe Show Support the showPatreonSubstackanthony@mainenginecutoff.com@WeHaveMECO@meco@spacey.spaceMECO HeadlinesOff-NominalOff-Nominal DiscordApple PodcastsOvercastPocket CastsSpotifyGoogle PlayStitcherTuneInelsewhereMain Engine Cut Off NewsletterSpaceXPine Works