Main Engine Cut Off

Casey Dreier of The Planetary Society joins me to talk about the NASA FY2024 budget request and what it means for Artemis, the ISS, and planetary science.

Correction: At some point in the show, we said DAVINCI is managed out of APL, but it’s actually run out of Goddard. Sorry, Maryland!

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 35 executive producers—Pat, Joonas, Bob, The Astrogators at SEE, Fred, David, Kris, Joel, Dawn Aerospace, Jan, Matt, Robb, Warren, SmallSpark Space Systems, Frank, Ryan, Lars from Agile Space, Donald, Moritz, Simon, Theo and Violet, Benjamin, Chris, Pat from KC, Russell, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Steve, Jorge, Andrew, Lee, Tyler, and four anonymous—and 831 other supporters.

Topics

• Casey Dreier (@CaseyDreier) / Twitter
• Casey Dreier | The Planetary Society
• The Planetary Society
• Planetary Society (@exploreplanets) / Twitter
• T+235: Artemis I, 2022 Midterms (with Casey Dreier) - Main Engine Cut Off
• President’s Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Strengthens NASA, Space Economy | NASA
• NASA's FY 2024 Budget | The Planetary Society
• The Planetary Society Welcomes Continued… | The Planetary Society
• Casey Dreier on Twitter: “Here is the ugly truth in the NASA budget proposal”
• Biden Requests Another Big Increase for NASA, Wants Space Tug to Deorbit ISS – SpacePolicyOnline.com
• The Space Station Decision | Hopkins Press

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
• Artwork photo by SpaceX

Eric Berger has three sources saying United Launch Alliance is being shopped around the market right now, so I kick around some thoughts on who may buy ULA, if an offer comes to fruition.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 35 executive producers—Matt, Russell, Pat, Warren, Lee, Kris, Frank, Joel, Lars from Agile Space, Jorge, Benjamin, Pat from KC, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Moritz, Steve, Joonas, Tyler, Bob, Dawn Aerospace, Robb, Theo and Violet, The Astrogators at SEE, David, Chris, Fred, Simon, Andrew, Jan, Donald, SmallSpark Space Systems, Ryan, and four anonymous—and 821 other supporters.

Topics

• Sources say prominent US rocket-maker United Launch Alliance is up for sale | Ars Technica
• Eric Berger on Twitter: “I've spoken with a lot of people about this in recent days, and the general consensus is that the favorites might be Lockheed or L3 Harris, followed by a Jeff Bezos company, followed by private equity. It will be some time before we know, probably.”
• L3Harris to Acquire Aerojet Rocketdyne | L3Harris® Fast. Forward.
• Aerojet Rocketdyne Makes $2B Offer for United Launch Alliance - SpaceNews

The Show

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The Space Force rolled out the draft RFP for Phase 3 of the National Security Space Launch program, and it looks pretty good! Elsewhere, NASA selected New Glenn to launch ESCAPADE in 2024, so I check in on the state of things over at Blue Origin—as always, it’s about the engines.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 44 executive producers—Simon, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian, Lars from Agile Space, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Fred, Dawn Aerospace, Andrew, Harrison, Benjamin, SmallSpark Space Systems, Tyler, Steve, Theo and Violet, Pat from KC and seven anonymous—and 821 other supporters.

Topics

• Space Force to change how it buys national security launches - SpaceNews
• Space Force looks to energize industry with next round of launch contracts - SpaceNews
• Space Force Reimagining Launch Service Procurement – SpacePolicyOnline.com
• National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 3 DRAFT Request for Proposals (RFPs) #1 and Industry Day - SAM.gov
• T+236: SpaceX Starshield, NSSL Phase 3 - Main Engine Cut Off
• Eric Berger on Twitter: “Col. Douglas Pentecost of the US Air Force says the military recently signed a "three-flight" option with Blue Origin for certification of the New Glenn rocket. This means three flights, but less data than ULA had to provide for a two-flight certification.”
• Gallery | Blue Origin
• NASA Selects Blue Origin to Launch Mars’ Magnetosphere Study Mission | NASA
• Blue Origin wins first NASA business for New Glenn - SpaceNews
• After Vulcan comes online, ULA plans to dramatically increase launch cadence | Ars Technica

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
• Artwork photo by SpaceX

Lori Garver, former NASA Deputy Administrator, joins me to talk about a whole host of space policy topics, including Artemis and lunar politics, the legacies of Commercial Cargo and Crew, the status of Commercial LEO Destinations, and also Lance Bass.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 42 executive producers—Simon, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian, Lars from Agile Space, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Fred, Dawn Aerospace, Andrew, Harrison, Benjamin, SmallSpark Space Systems, Tyler, Steve, Theo and Violet, and seven anonymous—and 814 other supporters.

Topics

• Lori Garver
• Lori Garver (@Lori_Garver) / Twitter
• Episode 66 - My Next One is “Fiction” - Off-Nominal
• Escaping Gravity: My Quest to Transform NASA and Launch a New Space Age: Garver, Lori, Isaacson, Walter - Amazon.com: Books
• Escaping Gravity by Lori Garver | Audiobook | Audible.com
• Lance Bass To Host Space History Podcast Series ‘The Last Soviet’ – Deadline
• Brooke Owens Fellowship
• Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program
• Patti Grace Smith Fellowship

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
• Artwork photo by SpaceX

Caleb Henry of Quilty Analytics and I took a trip down to Wallops Island to watch Rocket Lab’s first Electron launch from the US. Listen to our conversation on the drive down to Virginia, a bit of me at the press site before launch, and the launch itself in wonderful stereo audio.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 43 executive producers—Simon, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian, Lars from Agile Space, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, Andrew, Harrison, Benjamin, SmallSpark Space Systems, Tyler, Steve, Theo and Violet, and seven anonymous—and 826 other supporters.

Topics

• Twitter thread of our trip
• Main Engine Cut Off, Spacey Space: “Pretty great day trip down to Wallops to see the Rocket Lab flight! Electron really has a kick, I was impressed. Beautiful and delicate second stage plume, too. A+++++ would do again.”
• Caleb Henry (@CHenry_QA) / Twitter
• Quilty Analytics (@QuiltyAnalytics) / Twitter
• Quilty Analytics
• Rocket Lab Debut Launch from LC-2 - 'Virginia Is For Launch Lovers' - YouTube
• Rocket Lab Successfully Launches First Electron Mission from U.S. Soil | Rocket Lab
• Rocket Lab launches first Electron from Virginia - SpaceNews

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
• Artwork photo by SpaceX

Virgin Orbit’s first launch from the UK ended in failure, putting them in an even more precarious financial position. And on the other side of the North Pole, ABL’s first launch attempt ended in failure right on the launch pad in Alaska.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 43 executive producers—Simon, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian, Lars from Agile Space, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, Andrew, Harrison, Benjamin, SmallSpark Space Systems, Tyler, Steve, Theo and Violet, and seven anonymous—and 817 other supporters.

Topics

• First Virgin Orbit U.K. launch fails - SpaceNews
• Even before Monday’s launch failure, Virgin Orbit’s finances were dismal | Ars Technica
• First launch by ABL Space Systems fails shortly after liftoff – Spaceflight Now

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
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SpaceX rolled out Starshield, a new, Starlink-inspired (derived?) offering for national security space systems. And I have some thoughts on the upcoming National Security Space Launch Phase 3 contracting setup.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 42 executive producers—Simon, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian, Lars from Agile Space, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, Andrew, Harrison, Benjamin, SmallSpark Space Systems, Tyler, Steve, and seven anonymous—and 815 other supporters.

Topics

• SpaceX - Starshield
• SpaceX rolls out new business line focused on military satellite services - SpaceNews
• USA 320, ..., 323, 328, ..., 331 - Gunter's Space Page
• SpaceX launches Globalstar satellite on mysterious Falcon 9 mission - NASASpaceFlight.com
• Lockheed Martin, York Space to produce 20 satellites for Space Development Agency - SpaceNews
• SDA Awards Contracts for the First Generation of the Tracking Layer – Space Development Agency
• Space Development Agency Makes Awards for 28 Satellites to Build Tranche 1 Tracking Layer > U.S. Department of Defense > Release
• Draft solicitation for national security space launch services expected in early 2023 - SpaceNews
• Tory Bruno: DoD should ‘block buy’ heavy launch services as supply is tight  - SpaceNews
• ABL, Astra, Relativity selected to compete for U.S. Space Force responsive launch contracts - SpaceNews

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
• Artwork photo by NASA

Casey Dreier of The Planetary Society joins me to talk about Artemis I, where the Artemis program goes from here, and what the 2022 midterm elections mean for space.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 44 executive producers—Simon, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian, Lars from Agile Space, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, Andrew, Harrison, Benjamin, SmallSpark Space Systems, Tyler, Sean & Daniel Hart, Steve, and seven anonymous—and 831 other supporters.

Topics

• Casey Dreier (@CaseyDreier) / Twitter
• Casey Dreier | The Planetary Society
• The Planetary Society
• Planetary Society (@exploreplanets) / Twitter
• NASA’s Artemis I mission has successfully… | The Planetary Society
• Why we have the SLS | The Planetary Society
• Artemis I | Flickr
• What the 2022 midterm elections mean for NASA | The Planetary Society
• So long Senator Shelby: Key architect of SLS rocket won’t seek reelection | Ars Technica

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
• Artwork photo by NASA

The crew of Polaris Dawn—Scott “Kidd” Poteet, Sarah Gillis, and Anna Menon—join me to talk about the mission and its operations, their preparation and training so far, how their roles on past missions play into their role on this one, what they are learning and bringing back to their day-to-day roles, and what they’re excited about as they get ready to fly next year.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 43 executive producers—Simon, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian, Lars from Agile Space, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, Andrew, Harrison, Benjamin, SmallSpark Space Systems, Tyler, Sean & Daniel Hart, and seven anonymous—and 844 other supporters.

Topics

• T+233: Jared Isaacman, Polaris Program - Main Engine Cut Off
• Polaris Dawn
• Team - Polaris Program
• Centrifuge and hypoxia symptoms training - Polaris Program
• Polaris Dawn Selects 38 Science and Research Experiments to Advance Human Health and Space Exploration - Polaris Program
• Polaris on Twitter: “Our teams visited White Sands Test Facility to observe how EVA suit materials behave after being struck by micrometeorites or orbital debris, an important part of developing the spacesuits the Polaris Dawn crew will wear during the mission’s spacewalk”
• Off-Nominal Happy Hour - Dec 9, 2021 (with John Kraus) - YouTube

The Show

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• Music by Max Justus
• Artwork photo by ULA

Jared Isaacman of the Polaris Program joins me to talk about how the program began, how it’s envisioned, how they choose what to take on and solve, how they interact with SpaceX, and why he’s chosen to contribute to spaceflight in this way.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 43 executive producers—Simon, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, Moritz, Joel, Jan, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian, Lars from Agile Space, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Aegis Trade Law, Fred, Hemant, Dawn Aerospace, Andrew, Harrison, Benjamin, SmallSpark Space Systems, Tyler, Sean & Daniel Hart, and seven anonymous—and 841 other supporters.

Topics

• Polaris Program
• Polaris Dawn
• Inspiration4 - Home
• Centrifuge and hypoxia symptoms training - Polaris Program
• Polaris Dawn Selects 38 Science and Research Experiments to Advance Human Health and Space Exploration - Polaris Program
• Polaris on Twitter: “Our teams visited White Sands Test Facility to observe how EVA suit materials behave after being struck by micrometeorites or orbital debris, an important part of developing the spacesuits the Polaris Dawn crew will wear during the mission’s spacewalk”

The Show

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• Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to [email protected]
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• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn or elsewhere
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• Music by Max Justus
• Artwork photo by ULA