SPEXcast

SPEXcast sits down to discuss the first launch of Falcon Heavy, the world's most powerful operational orbital rocket. The test launch was almost completely successful, with two of the three booster cores returning to Earth intact, and Elon's Tesla Roadster with Starman on its way to the asteroid belt. We delve into the sequence of events on launch day, as well as break down all of the exciting announcements from the post-launch press conference.

SPEXcast returns from its winter hiatus with all new episodes on the science and technology of space exploration. We sit down to discuss the recent Rocket Labs Electron launch, commercial crew challenges, as well as two NASA exploration missions that have advanced to the next stage of development.

Today's episode is a new format; SPEXcast Book Club! We will be choosing a space-related book, and reading through it a few chapters at a time and giving our feedback, questions, and discussion. Our first book is called Ignition! An Informal History of Liquid Rocket Propellants by John D. Clark. We dive through the first two chapters, covering the historical basis of rocket propulsion pre World War II and then diving into the exciting advances made in WWII by Nazi Germany and the U.S.

At this year's International Astronautical Congress, Elon Musk unveiled a new design for SpaceX's Big Falcon Rocket. We sit down with Brendan Byrne, from Are We There Yet, and Matt, from The Interplanetary Podcast, to discuss the radical and not so radical changes to a rocket that could take humans to Mars by 2025.

Last year, Elon Musk took to the International Astronautical Congress in Guadalajara Mexico to unveil the Interplanetary Transport System. A year later, he is set to deliver an update on the plan, and SPEXcast sits down to discuss what potential changes we might see in the architecture.

SPEXcast sits down with Anthony Hennig, a Graduate Research Assistant at George Washington University, to record his thoughts from SmallSat 2017. We delve into how the CubeSat space has evolved over time, as well as take a look at what exciting missions and advancements we will be seeing in the near future.

SPEXcast discusses Ball Aerospace's Green Propellant Infusion Mission. This satellite will test new monopropellants that are more efficient, and less toxic, than existing fuels. We dive into this new, exciting technology and discuss its advantages and disadvantages in length. We also delve into its potential impact on the satellite industry in the future.

SPEXcast returns with an episode delving into the stunning announcements from ISSRDC by Elon Musk. We cover the Red Dragon cancellation, Falcon Heavy Demo flight risks, and the cancellation of SpaceX's full-size Interplanetary Transport System vehicle.

SPEXcast sits down with SPEX alumn, Anthony Hennig, a Ph.D student studying Systems Engineering at George Washington University. We discuss the recently passed NASA Authorization Act that provides the direction for all of NASA's activities. We also discuss New Glenn, which had been recently announced when this episode was recorded.

SPEXcast returns after a short hiatus to discuss the biggest trend in the space industry: reusing rockets. Our first episode was on this topic just over a year ago, and things have advanced dramatically during that time. We dicuss SpaceX's SES-10 mission and post-press conference news, as well as the effects rapid reuse will have on the industry in the next few years.