Main Engine Cut Off

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, Fred, Matt, Pat from KC, Natasha Tsakos, 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 | Marotta
• Space Controls | Spacecraft Control Systems | Marotta
• Marotta’s post with photos of my tour
• Brian’s photo of a thruster firing

The Show

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• Artwork photo by NASA
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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, Fred, Matt, Pat from KC, Natasha Tsakos, 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) / X
• The OneWeb Book | Caleb Henry | Substack
• Quilty Space
• Armed services committees propose $150 billion funding boost for defense - SpaceNews
• Ursa Major wins $28.5 million Air Force contract to flight-test Draper engine for hypersonic use - SpaceNews
• United Airlines bumps GEO operators off fleet for Starlink Wi-Fi - SpaceNews
• Free Starlink Wi-Fi now on most Hawaiian Airlines transpacific fleet - SpaceNews
• Atlas launches first operational Project Kuiper satellites - SpaceNews
• Project Kuiper on X: “Take a look at this @ULAlaunch clip of the first Kuiper satellites being released into low Earth orbit approximately 280 miles above the planet. Deployment takes place over a 15-minute period after launch, with satellites released three at a time from the dispenser system.”
• Here’s your first look at Project Kuiper’s low-cost customer terminals
• Assessing Kuiper’s Satellite Manufacturing Delays — Quilty Space
• Elon vs EchoStar: Starlink’s RF Snitch Mission, Explained | QuickTakes — Quilty Space

The Show

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• Artwork photo by NASA
• Work with me and my design and development agency: Pine 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, 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.com
• Trump White House budget proposal eviscerates science funding at NASA - Ars Technica
• Planetary Science Caucus Co-Chairs Bacon & Chu Statement on White House’s Proposed Budget Cuts to NASA Science | U.S. Representative Don Bacon
• NOAA budget proposal would affect weather satellite, other space programs - SpaceNews
• SpaceX, ULA, Blue Origin win $13.7 billion in U.S. military launch contracts through 2029 - SpaceNews
• Space Force reassigns GPS satellite launch from ULA to SpaceX - SpaceNews
• SpaceX secures majority of NSSL Phase 3 fiscal year 2025 missions - SpaceNews

The Show

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• Artwork photo by Firefly
• Work with me and my design and development agency: Pine 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, 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) / X
• Eric Berger | Ars Technica
• Starliner’s flight to the space station was far wilder than most of us thought - Ars Technica
• NASA to put Starliner’s thrusters through an extensive workout before next launch - Ars Technica
• NASA likely to significantly delay the launch of Crew 9 due to Starliner issues - Ars Technica

The Show

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• Artwork photo by Firefly
• Work with me and my design and development agency: Pine 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, 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 Times
• Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt is the new leader of Relativity Space - Ars Technica
• Relativity Space makes significant progress on Terran R; flight hardware in production - NASASpaceFlight.com
• Relativity names Eric Schmidt as CEO as it updates Terran R development - SpaceNews
• To avoid the Panama Canal, Relativity Space is moving some operations to Texas - Ars Technica
• Rocket Lab to expand into laser communications with Mynaric acquisition - SpaceNews

The Show

• Like the show? Support the show on Patreon or Substack!
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• Artwork photo by Firefly
• Work with me and my design and development agency: Pine 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, 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) / X
• Articles by Josh Dinner, Staff Writer, Spaceflight | Space
• IM-2 lunar lander mission ends - SpaceNews
• AstroForge | Odin't: A Complete Debrief of Our Deep Space Mission
• Starship destroyed on second consecutive test flight - SpaceNews
• Starship’s Eighth Flight Test - SpaceX - Launches
• Rocket Lab Announces Flatellite: A New Satellite Designed for Mass Manufacture and Tailored for Large Constellations | Rocket Lab
• Rocket Lab Reveals Ocean Platform for Neutron Rocket Landings at Sea | Rocket Lab

The Show

• Like the show? Support the show on Patreon or Substack!
• 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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• Artwork photo by Firefly
• Work with me and my design and development agency: Pine 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, 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 Group
• Touchdown! Carrying NASA Science, Firefly’s Blue Ghost Lands on Moon - NASA
• Firefly’s Blue Ghost 1 lands on the moon - SpaceNews
• Blue Ghost Mission 1 - Firefly Aerospace
• Falcon 9 launches second Intuitive Machines lunar lander - SpaceNews
• House Committee Backs Moon-to-Mars, But Changes May Be Needed – SpacePolicyOnline.com

The Show

• Like the show? Support the show on Patreon or Substack!
• Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to [email protected]
• Follow @WeHaveMECO
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• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn or elsewhere
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• Artwork photo by Firefly
• Work with me and my design and development agency: Pine 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, 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: Books
• Economics of Space | Economics of Space

The Show

• Like the show? Support the show on Patreon or Substack!
• Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to [email protected]
• Follow @WeHaveMECO
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• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn or elsewhere
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• Artwork photo by Blue Origin
• Work with me and my design and development agency: Pine 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, 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) / X
• Eric Berger | Ars Technica
• Boeing has informed its employees of uncertainty in future SLS contracts - Ars Technica
• NASA will swap Dragon spacecraft on the ground to return Butch and Suni sooner - Ars Technica
• Concern about SpaceX influence at NASA grows with new appointee - Ars Technica

The Show

• Like the show? Support the show on Patreon or Substack!
• Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to [email protected]
• Follow @WeHaveMECO
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• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn or elsewhere
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• Artwork photo by Blue Origin
• Work with me and my design and development agency: Pine 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 Transition
• Jonathan's Space Report
• Jonathan McDowell (@planet4589.bsky.social) — Bluesky
• Jonathan McDowell (@planet4589) / X
• The edge of space: Revisiting the Karman Line - ScienceDirect
• T+105: Jonathan McDowell - Main Engine Cut Off

The Show

• Like the show? Support the show on Patreon or Substack!
• Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to [email protected]
• Follow @WeHaveMECO
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• Listen to MECO Headlines
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• 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