Main Engine Cut Off

T+317: Isaacman Renomination Hearing, Starliner Flights Cut, Starship at SLC-37, Zhuque-3 Almost Sticks the Landing, and More (with Stephen Clark)

Stephen Clark of Ars Technica joins me to talk about a ton of stories in the news—Jared Isaacman was back in front of Congress, a few Starliner flights have been cut from the ISS manifest, Starship received environmental approval to proceed at SLC-37, Zhuque-3 almost stuck its first landing attempt, the Soyuz launch pad fell apart at Baikonur, and the Space Force has a new mission naming scheme. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 32 executive producers—Matt, Fred, Kris, Natasha Tsakos, Josh from Impulse, Better Every Day Studios, Joakim, Joel, Ryan, The Astrogators at SEE, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Heiko, Jan, Theo and Violet, Donald, Pat, Will and Lars from Agile, Lee, Russell, Joonas, Warren, Steve, Frank, Stealth Julian, David, and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters [https://mainenginecutoff.com/support]. Topics * Author: Stephen Clark - Ars Technica [https://arstechnica.com/author/stephenclark/] * NASA nominee appears before Congress, defends plans to revamp space agency - Ars Technica [https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/12/nasa-nominee-says-now-is-the-time-for-action-to-keep-agency-ahead-of-china/] * Congress warned that NASA’s current plan for Artemis “cannot work” - Ars Technica [https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/12/congress-told-there-needs-to-be-consequences-for-nasa-delays-amid-chinas-rise/] * NASA seeks a “warm backup” option as key decision on lunar rover nears - Ars Technica [https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/12/wary-of-picking-just-one-nasa-nears-important-decision-on-a-lunar-rover-selection/] * It’s official: Boeing’s next flight of Starliner will be allowed to carry cargo only - Ars Technica [https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/11/nasa-confirms-that-starliners-next-mission-will-be-cargo-only/] * A spectacular explosion shows China is close to obtaining reusable rockets - Ars Technica [https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/12/a-little-known-chinese-company-nearly-landed-a-rocket-from-space-on-its-first-try/] * Before a Soyuz launch Thursday someone forgot to secure a 20-ton service platform - Ars Technica [https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/11/russian-launch-pad-incident-raises-concerns-about-future-of-space-station/] * Rivals object to SpaceX’s Starship plans in Florida—who’s interfering with whom? - Ars Technica [https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/11/rivals-object-to-spacexs-starship-plans-in-florida-whos-interfering-with-whom/] * SpaceX on X [https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1995641577591767181]: “We’ve received approval to develop Space Launch Complex-37 for Starship operations at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Construction has started. With three launch pads in Florida, Starship will be ready to support America’s national security and Artemis goals as the world’s…” * Attack, defend, pursue—the Space Force’s new naming scheme foretells new era - Ars Technica [https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/11/attack-defend-pursue-the-space-forces-new-naming-scheme-foretells-new-era/] The Show * Like the show? Support the show [https://mainenginecutoff.com/support] on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/MECO] or Substack [https://mainenginecutoff.substack.com/]! * Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to anthony@mainenginecutoff.com [anthony@mainenginecutoff.com] * Follow @WeHaveMECO [https://twitter.com/WeHaveMECO] * Follow @meco@spacey.space [https://spacey.space/@meco] on Mastodon * Listen to MECO Headlines [https://mainenginecutoff.com/headlines] * Listen to Off-Nominal [https://offnom.com/] * Join the Off-Nominal Discord [http://discord.offnominal.space/] * Subscribe on Apple Podcasts [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/main-engine-cut-off/id1105457520], Overcast [https://overcast.fm/itunes1105457520/main-engine-cut-off], Pocket Casts [http://pca.st/e0qI], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/16iCltJIbl8tB8sBi6SEP3], Google Play [https://playmusic.app.goo.gl/?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&isi=691797987&ius=googleplaymusic&link=https://play.google.com/music/m/I6gijrtvsxvadwkid2abzhsbqeq?t%3DMain_Engine_Cut_Off%26pcampaignid%3DMKT-na-all-co-pr-mu-pod-16], Stitcher [http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/main-engine-cut-off], TuneIn [https://beta.tunein.com/radio/Main-Engine-Cut-Off-p1017187/] or elsewhere [http://mainenginecutoff.com/podcast/feed] * Subscribe to the Main Engine Cut Off Newsletter [https://mainenginecutoff.com/newsletter] * Artwork photo by Blue Origin [https://www.blueorigin.com/news/gallery] * Work with me and my design and development agency: Pine Works [https://pineworks.co/]

T+316: New Glenn’s Second Launch, First Landing, and Upgrade Roadmap

Blue Origin is fresh off an incredible few weeks—a successful second launch and first landing of New Glenn, followed by an exciting unveil of upgrades to the vehicle, including an enormous new version, New Glenn 9x4. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 32 executive producers—Lee, Natasha Tsakos, Fred, Will and Lars from Agile, Ryan, Stealth Julian, Pat, Heiko, Kris, Jan, Better Every Day Studios, Theo and Violet, Matt, Josh from Impulse, Russell, Joel, Warren, Joonas, Joakim, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Donald, David, Frank, Steve, The Astrogators at SEE, and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters [https://mainenginecutoff.com/support]. Topics * Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket came back home after taking aim at Mars - Ars Technica [https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/11/blue-origin-caps-second-heavy-lift-launch-with-first-offshore-landing/] * Jeff Bezos on X [https://x.com/JeffBezos/status/1989358416532488406]: “Good overview of the landing. We nominally target a few hundred feet away from Jacklyn to avoid a severe impact if engines fail to start or start slowly. We’ll incrementally reduce that conservatism over time. We are all excited and grateful for yesterday…” * New Glenn Update | Blue Origin [https://www.blueorigin.com/news/new-glenn-upgraded-engines-subcooled-components-drive-enhanced-performance] * Booster 18 suffers anomaly during proof testing - NASASpaceFlight.com [https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2025/11/booster-18-anomaly-proof-testing/] * Senate Commerce Committee schedules hearing on Isaacman renomination - SpaceNews [https://spacenews.com/senate-commerce-committee-schedules-hearing-on-isaacman-renomination/] * Lawmakers writing NASA’s budget want a cheaper upper stage for the SLS rocket - Ars Technica [https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/07/lawmakers-writing-nasas-budget-want-a-cheaper-upper-stage-for-the-sls-rocket/] The Show * Like the show? Support the show [https://mainenginecutoff.com/support] on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/MECO] or Substack [https://mainenginecutoff.substack.com/]! * Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to anthony@mainenginecutoff.com [anthony@mainenginecutoff.com] * Follow @WeHaveMECO [https://twitter.com/WeHaveMECO] * Follow @meco@spacey.space [https://spacey.space/@meco] on Mastodon * Listen to MECO Headlines [https://mainenginecutoff.com/headlines] * Listen to Off-Nominal [https://offnom.com/] * Join the Off-Nominal Discord [http://discord.offnominal.space/] * Subscribe on Apple Podcasts [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/main-engine-cut-off/id1105457520], Overcast [https://overcast.fm/itunes1105457520/main-engine-cut-off], Pocket Casts [http://pca.st/e0qI], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/16iCltJIbl8tB8sBi6SEP3], Google Play [https://playmusic.app.goo.gl/?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&isi=691797987&ius=googleplaymusic&link=https://play.google.com/music/m/I6gijrtvsxvadwkid2abzhsbqeq?t%3DMain_Engine_Cut_Off%26pcampaignid%3DMKT-na-all-co-pr-mu-pod-16], Stitcher [http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/main-engine-cut-off], TuneIn [https://beta.tunein.com/radio/Main-Engine-Cut-Off-p1017187/] or elsewhere [http://mainenginecutoff.com/podcast/feed] * Subscribe to the Main Engine Cut Off Newsletter [https://mainenginecutoff.com/newsletter] * Artwork photo by JAXA [https://x.com/HumanSpace_JAXA/status/1983596536681631989] * Work with me and my design and development agency: Pine Works [https://pineworks.co/]

T+315: Autonomy in Space (with Simone D’Amico, DJ Bush, and Al Tadros)

Simone D’Amico of Stanford and EraDrive, DJ Bush of NVIDIA, and Al Tadros of Redwire join me to talk about autonomy in space, to get into the specific details of what they’re working on and how it comes together, and what it may do for the industry in the next few years. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 32 executive producers—Joonas, Russell, Donald, Stealth Julian, Pat, Fred, David, Lee, Frank, Josh from Impulse, Steve, Joel, Joakim, Matt, Natasha Tsakos, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Kris, Theo and Violet, Heiko, Will and Lars from Agile, Jan, Warren, The Astrogators at SEE, Ryan, Better Every Day Studios, and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters [https://mainenginecutoff.com/support]. Topics * Episode T+315: Autonomy in Space (with Simone D’Amico, DJ Bush, and Al Tadros) - YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjizFmcpLAw] * Simone D'Amico | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/damicosimone/] * Center for AEroSpace Autonomy Research (CAESAR) [https://caesar.stanford.edu/] * Stanford spinoff EraDrive claims $1 million NASA contract - SpaceNews [https://spacenews.com/stanford-spinoff-eradrive-claims-1-million-nasa-contract/] * DJ Bush | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dj-bush-05067a6b/] * How Starcloud Is Bringing Data Centers to Outer Space | NVIDIA Blog [https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/starcloud/] * Al Tadros | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/al-tadros-986a583/] * Redwire Space | Heritage + Innovation [https://rdw.com/] * NASA Starling - Autonomous Tip and Cue in Orbit [https://www.linkedin.com/posts/damicosimone_flight-mission-results-activity-7377750781644587008-h5xZ?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAACxX8gBW-5AbeeBst9V8RE2qHxQPaQreSQ] * NASA Starling - Distributed Optical Navigation [https://www.linkedin.com/posts/damicosimone_nasa-starling-swarm-activity-7327061603223265280-x8LC?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAACxX8gBW-5AbeeBst9V8RE2qHxQPaQreSQ] * NASA Starling - Autonomous Space Domain Awareness [https://www.linkedin.com/posts/damicosimone_stanford-rsos-flight-activity-7237971694601027584-hvHj?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAACxX8gBW-5AbeeBst9V8RE2qHxQPaQreSQ] * VISORS - Precise Formation-Flying [https://www.linkedin.com/posts/damicosimone_visors-formationflying-flightsoftware-activity-7279081179746553856-OYls?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAACxX8gBW-5AbeeBst9V8RE2qHxQPaQreSQ] * Autonomous Spacecraft 3D Model Reconstruction [https://www.linkedin.com/posts/damicosimone_3dgs-nerf-cnn-activity-7358254004147019776-OzRP?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAACxX8gBW-5AbeeBst9V8RE2qHxQPaQreSQ] The Show * Like the show? Support the show [https://mainenginecutoff.com/support] on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/MECO] or Substack [https://mainenginecutoff.substack.com/]! * Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to anthony@mainenginecutoff.com [anthony@mainenginecutoff.com] * Follow @WeHaveMECO [https://twitter.com/WeHaveMECO] * Follow @meco@spacey.space [https://spacey.space/@meco] on Mastodon * Listen to MECO Headlines [https://mainenginecutoff.com/headlines] * Listen to Off-Nominal [https://offnom.com/] * Join the Off-Nominal Discord [http://discord.offnominal.space/] * Subscribe on Apple Podcasts [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/main-engine-cut-off/id1105457520], Overcast [https://overcast.fm/itunes1105457520/main-engine-cut-off], Pocket Casts [http://pca.st/e0qI], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/16iCltJIbl8tB8sBi6SEP3], Google Play [https://playmusic.app.goo.gl/?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&isi=691797987&ius=googleplaymusic&link=https://play.google.com/music/m/I6gijrtvsxvadwkid2abzhsbqeq?t%3DMain_Engine_Cut_Off%26pcampaignid%3DMKT-na-all-co-pr-mu-pod-16], Stitcher [http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/main-engine-cut-off], TuneIn [https://beta.tunein.com/radio/Main-Engine-Cut-Off-p1017187/] or elsewhere [http://mainenginecutoff.com/podcast/feed] * Subscribe to the Main Engine Cut Off Newsletter [https://mainenginecutoff.com/newsletter] * Artwork photo by JAXA [https://x.com/HumanSpace_JAXA/status/1983596536681631989] * Work with me and my design and development agency: Pine Works [https://pineworks.co/]

T+314: Jockeying for the Artemis 3 Lander, and the NASA Administrator Position

Thinking through the chaos that has ensued over the NASA Administrator role, the Artemis 3 lander acceleration movement, the SpaceX Starship HLS update, and a bit on how we actually got here. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 32 executive producers—Donald, Stealth Julian, Jan, Theo and Violet, The Astrogators at SEE, Joakim, Steve, Matt, Fred, Lee, Joel, Kris, Ryan, David, Josh from Impulse, Warren, Heiko, Pat, Russell, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Joonas, Better Every Day Studios, Will and Lars from Agile, Natasha Tsakos, Frank, and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters [https://mainenginecutoff.com/support]. Topics * SpaceX - Updates [https://www.spacex.com/updates#moon-and-beyond] * SpaceX teases simplified Starship as alarms sound over Moon landing delays - Ars Technica [https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/10/as-pressure-mounts-spacex-insists-starship-is-fastest-path-to-moon-landing/] * Why did NASA’s chief just shake up the agency’s plans to land on the Moon? - Ars Technica [https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/10/nasas-acting-leader-seeks-to-keep-his-job-with-new-lunar-lander-announcement/] * Elon Musk just declared war on NASA’s acting administrator, apparently - Ars Technica [https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/10/elon-musk-just-declared-war-on-nasas-acting-administrator-apparently/] * How America fell behind China in the lunar space race—and how it can catch back up - Ars Technica [https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/10/how-america-fell-behind-china-in-the-lunar-space-race-and-how-it-can-catch-back-up/] * China completes landing and takeoff test for crewed moon lander - SpaceNews [https://spacenews.com/china-completes-landing-and-takeoff-test-for-crewed-moon-lander/] * China completes second hot-fire test for new moon rocket, including engine restarts - SpaceNews [https://spacenews.com/china-completes-second-hot-fire-test-for-new-moon-rocket-including-engine-restarts/] * Trump pulls Isaacman nomination for space. Source: “NASA is f***ed.” - Ars Technica [https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/05/trump-pulls-isaacman-nomination-for-space-source-nasa-is-fed/] The Show * Like the show? Support the show [https://mainenginecutoff.com/support] on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/MECO] or Substack [https://mainenginecutoff.substack.com/]! * Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to anthony@mainenginecutoff.com [anthony@mainenginecutoff.com] * Follow @WeHaveMECO [https://twitter.com/WeHaveMECO] * Follow @meco@spacey.space [https://spacey.space/@meco] on Mastodon * Listen to MECO Headlines [https://mainenginecutoff.com/headlines] * Listen to Off-Nominal [https://offnom.com/] * Join the Off-Nominal Discord [http://discord.offnominal.space/] * Subscribe on Apple Podcasts [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/main-engine-cut-off/id1105457520], Overcast [https://overcast.fm/itunes1105457520/main-engine-cut-off], Pocket Casts [http://pca.st/e0qI], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/16iCltJIbl8tB8sBi6SEP3], Google Play [https://playmusic.app.goo.gl/?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&isi=691797987&ius=googleplaymusic&link=https://play.google.com/music/m/I6gijrtvsxvadwkid2abzhsbqeq?t%3DMain_Engine_Cut_Off%26pcampaignid%3DMKT-na-all-co-pr-mu-pod-16], Stitcher [http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/main-engine-cut-off], TuneIn [https://beta.tunein.com/radio/Main-Engine-Cut-Off-p1017187/] or elsewhere [http://mainenginecutoff.com/podcast/feed] * Subscribe to the Main Engine Cut Off Newsletter [https://mainenginecutoff.com/newsletter] * Artwork photo by NASA [https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasa2explore/54812752297/in/datetaken/] * Work with me and my design and development agency: Pine Works [https://pineworks.co/]

T+313: Starlink, Kuiper, Project Bromo, and More (with Caleb Henry)

Caleb Henry, Director of Research at Quilty Space, joins me (in studio!) to talk about Starlink V3, Starlink satellite relay, Kuiper’s rollout, the Airbus-Thales-Leonardo merger, and the future of Iridium. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 32 executive producers—Heiko, Joonas, Joel, The Astrogators at SEE, Russell, Joakim, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Natasha Tsakos, David, Steve, Josh from Impulse, Will and Lars from Agile, Better Every Day Studios, Jan, Fred, Warren, Kris, Pat, Donald, Matt, Frank, Stealth Julian, Ryan, Theo and Violet, Lee, and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters [https://mainenginecutoff.com/support]. Topics * Caleb Henry (@ChenrySpace) / X [https://x.com/ChenrySpace] * The OneWeb Book | Caleb Henry | Substack [https://chenryspace.substack.com/] * Quilty Space [https://www.quiltyspace.com/] * Satellite operators will soon join airlines in using Starlink in-flight Wi-Fi - Ars Technica [https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/10/satellite-operators-will-soon-join-airlines-in-using-starlink-in-flight-wi-fi/] * Starlink mini lasers to link Muon Space satellites for near real-time connectivity - SpaceNews [https://spacenews.com/starlink-mini-lasers-to-link-muon-space-satellites-for-near-real-time-connectivity/] * Project Kuiper plots broadband services in five countries by end of March - SpaceNews [https://spacenews.com/project-kuiper-plots-broadband-services-in-five-countries-by-end-of-march/] * Airbus, Leonardo and Thales agree to combine space businesses - SpaceNews [https://spacenews.com/airbus-leonardo-and-thales-agree-to-combine-space-businesses/] * Project Bromo: An Escape Hatch, Not a Fortress [https://europeanspaceflight.substack.com/p/project-bromo-an-escape-hatch-not] * Iridium pulls $1 billion 2030 service revenue goal amid SpaceX’s D2D push - SpaceNews [https://spacenews.com/iridium-pulls-1-billion-2030-service-revenue-goal-amid-spacexs-d2d-push/] The Show * Like the show? Support the show [https://mainenginecutoff.com/support] on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/MECO] or Substack [https://mainenginecutoff.substack.com/]! * Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to anthony@mainenginecutoff.com [anthony@mainenginecutoff.com] * Follow @WeHaveMECO [https://twitter.com/WeHaveMECO] * Follow @meco@spacey.space [https://spacey.space/@meco] on Mastodon * Listen to MECO Headlines [https://mainenginecutoff.com/headlines] * Listen to Off-Nominal [https://offnom.com/] * Join the Off-Nominal Discord [http://discord.offnominal.space/] * Subscribe on Apple Podcasts [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/main-engine-cut-off/id1105457520], Overcast [https://overcast.fm/itunes1105457520/main-engine-cut-off], Pocket Casts [http://pca.st/e0qI], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/16iCltJIbl8tB8sBi6SEP3], Google Play [https://playmusic.app.goo.gl/?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&isi=691797987&ius=googleplaymusic&link=https://play.google.com/music/m/I6gijrtvsxvadwkid2abzhsbqeq?t%3DMain_Engine_Cut_Off%26pcampaignid%3DMKT-na-all-co-pr-mu-pod-16], Stitcher [http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/main-engine-cut-off], TuneIn [https://beta.tunein.com/radio/Main-Engine-Cut-Off-p1017187/] or elsewhere [http://mainenginecutoff.com/podcast/feed] * Subscribe to the Main Engine Cut Off Newsletter [https://mainenginecutoff.com/newsletter] * Artwork photo by NASA [https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasa2explore/54812752297/in/datetaken/] * Work with me and my design and development agency: Pine Works [https://pineworks.co/]