Main Engine Cut Off

Last week, IAC 2020 brought a flurry of announcements and statements to digest. It’s a good time to check in on current and future lunar politics, with some statements by the ever-antagonistic Rogozin, seven countries signing onto the Artemis Accords, a handful of lunar development contracts announced, and the US election within sight.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 38 executive producers—Brandon, Matthew, Simon, Lauren, Melissa, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Nadim, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, John, Moritz, Joel, Jan, Grant, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Adam, and seven anonymous—and 414 other supporters.

Topics

• Rogozin Wants ISS Extension, Gateway Too U.S.-Centric - SpacePolicyOnline.com
• Shared Standards are a Vital Part of Future Space Exploration - Administrator Jim Bridenstine
• NASA Artemis Accords
• Episode T+158: Doug Loverro Resigns, and a Bit About the Artemis Accords - Main Engine Cut Off
• NASA, International Partners Advance Cooperation with Artemis Accords | NASA
• Eight Countries Sign Artemis Accords - SpacePolicyOnline.com
• ESA awards contracts for moon and Mars exploration - SpaceNews
• China’s Statement on Artemis Accords, via Andrew Jones on Twitter (@AJ_FI)
• NASA Announces Industry Partnerships to Advance Moon, Mars Technology | NASA
• NASA Announces Partners to Advance 2020 ‘Tipping Point’ Technologies | NASA
• NASA Selects Partner to Land Water-Measuring Payload on the Moon | NASA
• Democratic platform calls for continuity in NASA programs - SpaceNews
• Current and former NASA leadership share credit for commercial crew - SpaceNews

The Show

• Like the show? Support the show!
• Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to [email protected]
• Follow @WeHaveMECO
• Listen to MECO Headlines
• 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
• Buy shirts and Rocket Socks from the Main Engine Cut Off Shop
• Music by Max Justus

The Space Development Agency has selected L3Harris and SpaceX to produce satellites for a missile warning constellation. I break down the details of the SDA project, the technical aspects, and what it means to see SpaceX enter the world of satellite manufacturing and sales.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 38 executive producers—Brandon, Matthew, Simon, Lauren, Melissa, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Nadim, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, John, Moritz, Joel, Jan, Grant, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Adam, and seven anonymous—and 402 other supporters.

Topics

• L3Harris, SpaceX win Space Development Agency contracts to build missile-warning satellites - SpaceNews
• SDA Awards Contracts for the First Generation of the Tracking Layer – Space Development Agency
• SDA RFP Seeks Industry Proposals for Launch Services – Space Development Agency
• SDA Tranche 0 Launch Services - beta.SAM.gov
• Lockheed Martin, York Space to produce 20 satellites for Space Development Agency - SpaceNews
• Griffin’s departure stirs questions about the future of the Space Development Agency - SpaceNews
• xkcd: Standards

The Show

• Like the show? Support the show!
• Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to [email protected]
• Follow @WeHaveMECO
• Listen to MECO Headlines
• 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
• Buy shirts and Rocket Socks from the Main Engine Cut Off Shop
• Music by Max Justus

I’m back after a few wonderful weeks offline with my newly-arrived son, Will! I figured I’d jump back in with a rundown of the important and notable bits of news that happened while I was gone.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 38 executive producers—Brandon, Matthew, Simon, Lauren, Melissa, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Nadim, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, John, Moritz, Joel, Jan, Grant, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Adam, and seven anonymous—and 402 other supporters.

Topics

• My son has arrived! Signing off for a few weeks. - Main Engine Cut Off
• Main Engine Cut Off on Twitter: “It’s Space Shirt Friday over in the @offnom Discord and I’m guessing @JimBridenstine will appreciate Will’s first participation in it.”
• Discovery of noxious gas on Venus could be a sign of life - The Verge
• What the future of Venus exploration could look like following major discovery - The Verge
• Venus is One Stop in Our Search for Life - Administrator Jim Bridenstine
• Rocket Lab Launches First In-house Designed & Built Photon Satellite | Rocket Lab
• NASA signs agreement with Italy to cooperate on Artemis - SpaceNews
• NASA Publishes Artemis Plan to Land First Woman, Next Man on Moon | NASA
• Bridenstine Optimistic About Full HLS Funding - SpacePolicyOnline.com
• Senate Hearing Offers No Hints on Prospect for Artemis Funding - SpacePolicyOnline.com
• Another Senate Hearing, But Still No Clue on Likely Fate of Artemis Funding - SpacePolicyOnline.com
• Space Resources are the Key to Safe and Sustainable Lunar Exploration - Administrator Jim Bridenstine
• Purchase of Lunar Regolith and/or Rock Materials from Contractor - beta.SAM.gov
• NASA Moon Rocket Stage Passes Simulated Countdown Test | NASA
• Jim Bridenstine on Twitter: “More progress on @NASA_SLS Green Run Hot Fire! @NASA_Stennis teams completed the sixth test of the Green Run test series – the simulated countdown – on Sunday, validating the stage for the sequence of events leading up to an Artemis launch.”
• OneWeb secures additional financing as bankruptcy restructuring continues - SpaceNews
• Bankruptcy court approves OneWeb sale - SpaceNews
• SpaceX wins launch contract for NASA space science mission - SpaceNews
• After second hop, SpaceX preps for next phase of Starship testing - Spaceflight Now
• Starship SN8 prepares for test series - First sighting of Super Heavy - NASASpaceFlight.com
• Super Heavy waiting in the wings amid Starship testing - NASASpaceFlight.com
• SpaceX on Twitter: “Completed a full duration test fire of the Raptor Vacuum engine at SpaceX’s rocket development facility in McGregor, Texas”
• SpaceX launches the first south-bound rocket from Florida in decades - The Verge
• Episode T+167: Phillip Hargrove, NASA Launch Services Program - Main Engine Cut Off
• SpaceX to Fly to Polar Orbit from Florida - Main Engine Cut Off
• Software fix could position Astra for another launch attempt by end of year - Spaceflight Now
• Video of Astra Flight 3 from Jennifer Culton
• Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit is Seeking Investors - Parabolic Arc
• ExoTerra to develop upper stage for Virgin Orbit LauncherOne - SpaceNews

The Show

• Like the show? Support the show!
• Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to [email protected]
• Follow @WeHaveMECO
• Listen to MECO Headlines
• 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
• Buy shirts and Rocket Socks from the Main Engine Cut Off Shop
• Music by Max Justus

There have been a ton of recent updates from commercial small launch companies, like increased payload mass and volume from Rocket Lab, contracts and funding from ABL, solved vibration issues from Virgin Orbit, and a few others. With a handful of vehicles on the verge of their first launch, it’s a good time to take a higher-level look at these competitors.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 39 executive producers—Brandon, Matthew, Simon, Lauren, Melissa, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Nadim, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, John, Moritz, Joel, Jan, Grant, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Adam, and seven anonymous—and 399 other supporters.

Topics

• Rocket Lab Increases Electron Payload Capacity, Enabling Interplanetary Missions and Reusability | Rocket Lab
• ABL Space Systems begins RS1 stage testing and reaches $90mm in funding
• Small launch startup ABL secures over $90 million in new funding and Air Force contracts - SpaceNews
• Wrapping Up Our First Launch Demo, and Looking Ahead to Launch Demo 2 | Virgin Orbit
• Firefly suffers anomaly during launch vehicle test - SpaceNews
• Firefly Aerospace on Twitter: “Yesterday evening we attempted to hotfire test the Alpha first stage for the first time. Unfortunately, after the four Reaver engines ignited, an engine bay fire developed (flame jet to the left in video). The system immediately shut itself down and the fire was quickly…”
• Relativity wins Iridium contract, selects West Coast launch site - SpaceNews

The Show

• Like the show? Support the show!
• Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to [email protected]
• Follow @WeHaveMECO
• Listen to MECO Headlines
• 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
• Buy shirts and Rocket Socks from the Main Engine Cut Off Shop
• Music by Max Justus

The long-awaited news is finally here! ULA and SpaceX have won the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 2 launch contracts from the US Department of Defense, which leaves Blue Origin’s New Glenn and Northrop Grumman’s OmegA out in the cold. I talk through what this means for each company and launch vehicle, and where things will go from here on all sides of the issue.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 39 executive producers—Brandon, Matthew, Simon, Lauren, Melissa, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Nadim, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, John, Moritz, Joel, Jan, Grant, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Adam, and seven anonymous—and 398 other supporters.

Topics

• U.S. Department Of Defense > Contracts For Aug. 7, 2020
• Pentagon picks SpaceX and ULA to remain its primary launch providers - SpaceNews
• Air Force to end agreements with Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman, prepares for launch contract protests - SpaceNews
• ULA, SpaceX Win NSSL Phase 2 Awards – SpacePolicyOnline.com
• House and Senate Make Progress on the FY2021 NDAA – SpacePolicyOnline.com
• National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 2 Launch Service Procurement (LSP) Request for Proposal (RFP) FA8811-19-R-0002 - GovTribe
• Air Force funding three new rockets to compete with SpaceX but only intends to buy launch services from two providers - SpaceNews
• Air Force requests bids for space launch services, will select two companies in 2020 - SpaceNews
• Episode T+79: Orbital ATK’s OmegA, NASA’s Bridenstine - Main Engine Cut Off

The Show

• Like the show? Support the show!
• Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to [email protected]
• Follow @WeHaveMECO
• Listen to MECO Headlines
• 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
• Buy shirts and Rocket Socks from the Main Engine Cut Off Shop
• Music by Max Justus

Phillip Hargrove, a Launch Vehicle Trajectory Analyst at NASA joins me to talk about NASA’s Launch Services Program. We discuss how LSP interacts with mission teams like Mars 2020 Perseverance, launch providers like United Launch Alliance and SpaceX, and what kind of work they tackle in their unique role tying it all together.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 39 executive producers—Brandon, Matthew, Simon, Lauren, Melissa, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Nadim, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, John, Moritz, Joel, Jan, Grant, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Adam, and seven anonymous—and 398 other supporters.

Topics

• Off-Nominal - YouTube
• Off-Nominal
• 32 - Well Within the Kill Zone | Off-Nominal
• Episode 32 - Well Within the Kill Zone (with Richard Garriott) - YouTube
• Phillip H (@FlightMastrPhil) / Twitter
• Launching Rockets | NASA
• Phillip H on Twitter: “LOL you can see me and @MicWoltman walking across the street in the last 8 seconds. This was right after we got there and we realized “oh...that’s @torybruno @JimBridenstine and @Dr_ThomasZ “ and then “oh...that’s an interview” 🏃🏾‍♂️😂 #oops”
• Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover - NASA Mars
• Watch the Launch of Mars 2020 Perseverance with us! - WeMartians Podcast
• Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID) | NASA
• Joint Polar Satellite System
• NASA Awards IXPE Launch to SpaceX for $50.3 Million - Main Engine Cut Off
• NASA Awards Psyche Launch to SpaceX, Who Now Has Its First Mars Launch on the Books - Main Engine Cut Off
• SpaceX to Fly to Polar Orbit from Florida - Main Engine Cut Off
• Episode T+136: Starship to GTO, SSO from Florida - Main Engine Cut Off
• SpaceX Selected for PACE Launch to SSO from Cape Canaveral - Main Engine Cut Off
• Cape Canaveral Prepares for First Polar Launches in 60 Years   - Scientific American

The Show

• Like the show? Support the show!
• Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to [email protected]
• Follow @WeHaveMECO
• Listen to MECO Headlines
• 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
• Buy shirts and Rocket Socks from the Main Engine Cut Off Shop
• Music by Max Justus

Two members of the Astrobotic team join me for a conversation: Laura Klicker, Payload Systems Management Lead, and Daniel Gillies, Mission Director for the Griffin/VIPER mission. We talk about Astrobotic’s first Peregrine mission coming up next year, the very exciting VIPER mission to the south pole of the Moon in 2023, payload management across multiple flights, the technical aspects of their various vehicles, and a whole lot more.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 38 executive producers—Brandon, Matthew, Simon, Lauren, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Nadim, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, John, Moritz, Joel, Jan, Grant, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Adam, and seven anonymous—and 397 other supporters.

Topics

• Astrobotic
• Careers | Astrobotic
• Peregrine Lander | Astrobotic
• Griffin Lander | Astrobotic
• Astrobotic Awarded $79.5 Million Contract to Deliver 14 NASA Payloads to the Moon | Astrobotic
• Astrobotic Awarded $5.6 Million NASA Contract to Deliver Autonomous Moon Rover | Astrobotic
• Astrobotic Awarded $199.5 Million Contract to Deliver NASA Moon Rover | Astrobotic
• Astrobotic to Develop New Commercial Payload Service for NASA’s Human Landing System | Astrobotic

The Show

• Like the show? Support the show!
• Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to [email protected]
• Follow @WeHaveMECO
• Listen to MECO Headlines
• 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
• Buy shirts and Rocket Socks from the Main Engine Cut Off Shop
• Music by Max Justus

Caleb Henry of SpaceNews returns to the show to talk about the OneWeb acquisition and related fallout, Starlink antennas, the ongoing C-band drama including the satellite-buying bonanza, and he helps us understand the FCC-GPS-Ligado situation.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 38 executive producers—Brandon, Matthew, Simon, Lauren, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Nadim, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, John, Moritz, Joel, Jan, Grant, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Adam, and seven anonymous—and 397 other supporters.

Topics

• Caleb Henry, SpaceNews
• Caleb Henry (@CHenry_SN) / Twitter
• British government and Bharti Global buy OneWeb, plan $1 billion investment to revive company - SpaceNews
• British military finalizes Skynet-6A contract with Airbus - SpaceNews
• Wyler claims breakthrough in low-cost antenna for OneWeb, other satellite systems - SpaceNews
• New details and images emerge of SpaceX’s Starlink user antennas and planned beta testing - The Verge
• Satellite Bonanza: Ten GEO Satellites Ordered in Prep for C-Band Clearing, More Coming - Main Engine Cut Off
• Intelsat orders four satellites from Maxar, two from Northrop Grumman, for C-band clearing - SpaceNews
• Boeing, Northrop Grumman win SES C-band satellite orders - SpaceNews
• SES files $1.8 billion claim against Intelsat over splitting C-Band Alliance - SpaceNews
• Coalition of GPS user groups joins fight against FCC’s Ligado decision - SpaceNews

The Show

• Like the show? Support the show!
• Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to [email protected]
• Follow @WeHaveMECO
• Listen to MECO Headlines
• 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
• Buy shirts and Rocket Socks from the Main Engine Cut Off Shop
• Music by Max Justus

To start, there’s exciting news! My son is due at the end of August, and so I’ll be taking some time off after he arrives. Before that, I wanted to check in on two storylines.

Professional shit-stirrer Dmitry Rogozin made it pretty clear that Russia is not interested in the Artemis Program, while various countries around the world partner with NASA on it. And we’re only a few weeks out from the NSSL Phase 2 awards and there is some related budgetary considerations being debated, so it’s a good time to circle back on that.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 38 executive producers—Brandon, Matthew, Simon, Lauren, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Nadim, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, John, Moritz, Joel, Jan, Grant, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Adam, and seven anonymous—and 392 other supporters.

Topics

• Rogozin Not Interested in Cooperating with U.S. on Lunar Program, Prefers China – SpacePolicyOnline.com
• Space Exploration Transcends All Terrestrial Borders – Administrator Jim Bridenstine
• NASA Administrator Signs Declaration of Intent with Japan on Artemis | NASA
• Building the next Canadarm - Canada.ca
• Australian Government Commits to Join NASA in Lunar Exploration | NASA
• NASA Artemis Accords
• Episode T+158: Doug Loverro Resigns, and a Bit About the Artemis Accords - Main Engine Cut Off
• Air Force awards launch vehicle development contracts to Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman, ULA - SpaceNews
• ULA, SpaceX, Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman submit bids for national security launch procurement contract - SpaceNews
• Smith encouraged by Senate NDAA proposal to increase funding for space launch technology - SpaceNews
• Independent study of launch market says U.S. Air Force should support three domestic providers - SpaceNews

The Show

• Like the show? Support the show!
• Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to [email protected]
• Follow @WeHaveMECO
• Listen to MECO Headlines
• 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
• Buy shirts and Rocket Socks from the Main Engine Cut Off Shop
• Music by Max Justus

NASA recently established the Suborbital Crew office within the Commercial Crew Program, which will focus on developing a plan to fly personnel on suborbital spaceflights. At the same time, Virgin Galactic signed an agreement with NASA to provide private orbital spaceflights to the ISS.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 38 executive producers—Brandon, Matthew, Simon, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Brad, Ryan, Nadim, Peter, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, John, Moritz, Joel, Jan, Grant, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Adam, and seven anonymous—and 385 other supporters.

Topics

• NASA Developing a Plan to Fly Personnel on Suborbital Spacecraft | NASA
• Virgin Galactic to fly Italian Air Force research mission - SpaceNews.com
• Virgin Galactic Signs Space Act Agreement with NASA for Private Orbital Spaceflight to the International Space Station (ISS) - Virgin Galactic

The Show

• Like the show? Support the show!
• Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to [email protected]
• Follow @WeHaveMECO
• Listen to MECO Headlines
• 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
• Buy shirts and Rocket Socks from the Main Engine Cut Off Shop
• Music by Max Justus