NASA is heading back to the drawing board for a Mars Sample Return architecture, and is accepting proposals for mission studies by May. I talk about a few takeaways from the communication of that plan, and ponder whether or not SpaceX is going to do the damn thing.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 33 executive producers—Lee, Benjamin, Ryan, Stealth Julian, Russell, Warren, Will and Lars from Agile Space, The Astrogators at SEE, Matt, Bob, Kris, Harrison, David, Frank, Tyler, Jan, Steve, Joel, Theo and Violet, Pat, SmallSpark Space Systems, Joonas, Better Every Day Studios, Donald, Josh from Impulse Space, Fred, Pat from KC, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), and four anonymous—and 818 other supporters.

Topics

• NASA Sets Path to Return Mars Samples, Seeks Innovative Designs - NASA
• Rapid Mission Design Studies for Mars Sample Return
• Elon Musk on X: “@NASA Starship has the potential to return serious tonnage from Mars within ~5 years”
• NASA’s Dragonfly Rotorcraft Mission to Saturn’s Moon Titan Confirmed

The Show

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NASA selected 3 teams to work on unpressurized rovers for Artemis, while Japan signed on officially to provide a pressurized rover in exchange for seats on Artemis landers. Elsewhere, Mitsubishi took a stake in Starlab, and I still needed to catch up on Starship’s 3rd flight and the ensuing update from SpaceX.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 33 executive producers—Kris, Better Every Day Studios, Tyler, Joel, Fred, Harrison, Benjamin, Donald, Lee, Russell, Warren, Pat from KC, Matt, Bob, Ryan, Josh from Impulse Space, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Pat, The Astrogators at SEE, SmallSpark Space Systems, Stealth Julian, Jan, Steve, Will and Lars from Agile Space, Theo and Violet, David, Joonas, Frank, and four anonymous—and 817 other supporters.

Topics

• NASA selects three companies to advance Artemis lunar rover designs - SpaceNews
• Japanese astronauts to land on moon as part of new NASA partnership - SpaceNews
• Mitsubishi takes stake in Starlab Space - SpaceNews
• Starship Flight 3 Excels through most Major Milestones - NASASpaceFlight.com
• SpaceX planning rapid turnaround for next Starship flight - SpaceNews
• Elon Musk just gave another Mars speech—this time the vision seems tangible | Ars Technica

The Show

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Andrew Jones returns to the show to catch up on the Chinese space industry—Tiangong, reusable launchers, constellations, and the Moon.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 35 executive producers—Tyler, Jan, Will and Lars from Agile Space, Benjamin, Warren, Pat, Russell, Craig from SpaceHappyHour.com, Theo and Violet, SmallSpark Space Systems, Steve, Fred, Stealth Julian, Better Every Day Studios, Kris, The Astrogators at SEE, David, Joonas, Pat from KC, Brandon, Donald, Josh from Impulse Space, Joel, Ryan, Matt, Harrison, Bob, Tim Dodd, the Everyday Astronaut, Lee Hopkins, Frank, and four anonymous—and 823 other supporters.

Topics

• Andrew Jones (@AJ_FI) / X
• Orienspace breaks Chinese commercial launch records with Gravity-1 solid rocket - SpaceNews
• Shanghai firm behind G60 megaconstellation raises $943 million - SpaceNews
• China to debut large reusable rockets in 2025 and 2026 - SpaceNews
• India targets uncrewed Gaganyaan orbital test mission in July, crewed flight in 2025 - SpaceNews
• China rolls out rocket for Queqiao-2 lunar satellite launch - SpaceNews
• China's 2024 space plans include 100 launches and moon sample return mission - SpaceNews

The Show

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Neel Kunjur, Co-Founder and CTO of K2 Space, joins me to talk about their vision for the future of satellites and the wider space industry, what they’ve been up to lately, and what their roadmap to the launch pad looks like from here.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 35 executive producers—David, Pat from KC, Joonas, Josh from Impulse Space, Will and Lars from Agile Space, The Astrogators at SEE, Bob, Benjamin, Russell, SmallSpark Space Systems, Theo and Violet, Matt, Ryan, Warren, Brandon, Steve, Tim Dodd, the Everyday Astronaut, Fred, Tyler, Joel, Jan, Stealth Julian, Harrison, Frank, Kris, Donald, Lee Hopkins, Better Every Day Studios, Pat, Craig from SpaceHappyHour.com, and four anonymous—and 823 other supporters.

Topics

• K2 Space | Developing large satellites for a post-Starship future
• Episode 120 - Big Dumb Satellites - Off-Nominal
• Startup K2 Space raises $50 million to build monster satellites

The Show

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Tim Crain, Co-Founder and CTO of Intuitive Machines, joins me to talk about their recent IM-1 mission to land Odysseus on the Moon as part of NASA’s CLPS program.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 36 executive producers—Russell, Chris, Josh from Impulse Space, Will and Lars from Agile Space, Warren, Ryan, Matt, Harrison, Lee Hopkins, Bob, Brandon, Stealth Julian, Frank, Tim Dodd, the Everyday Astronaut, Benjamin, Steve, The Astrogators at SEE, Craig from SpaceHappyHour.com, Donald, Theo and Violet, Pat, SmallSpark Space Systems, Jan, Kris, Pat from KC, Fred, David, Tyler, Joel, Joonas, Better Every Day Studios, and four anonymous—and 823 other supporters.

Topics

• Tim (@CrainTim) / X
• Intuitive Machines
• IM-1 | Intuitive Machines

The Show

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Eric Berger of Ars Technica joins me to talk about Intuitive Machine’s successful landing despite so many issues on the mission, the future of CLPS, and the tough questions facing NASA and its budget.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 36 executive producers—Tyler, Lee Hopkins, Better Every Day Studios, Joel, Jan, Will and Lars from Agile Space, Matt, Russell, Craig from SpaceHappyHour.com, Ryan, Donald, Brandon, Joonas, Fred, Tim Dodd, the Everyday Astronaut, Pat, SmallSpark Space Systems, Frank, Kris, Stealth Julian, The Astrogators at SEE, Warren, Benjamin, Steve, Chris, Theo and Violet, David, Pat from KC, Dawn Aerospace, Bob, Harrison, and four anonymous—and 823 other supporters.

Topics

• Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) / X
• Eric Berger | Ars Technica
• That moment when you land on the Moon, break a leg, and are about to topple over | Ars Technica
• It turns out that Odysseus landed on the Moon without any altimetry data | Ars Technica
• NASA faces a quandary with its audacious lunar cargo program | Ars Technica
• Before Ingenuity ever landed on Mars, scientists almost managed to kill it | Ars Technica

The Show

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I catch up with a round up of stories from January: ULA’s first Vulcan launch, Blue Origin’s success with its BE-4 engines and what it means for their year, Astrobotic’s Peregrine mission, JAXA’s SLIM mission, and NASA’s announcement of Artemis delays.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 36 executive producers—Tyler, Lee Hopkins, Better Every Day Studios, Joel, Jan, Will and Lars from Agile Space, Matt, Russell, Craig from SpaceHappyHour.com, Ryan, Donald, Brandon, Joonas, Fred, Tim Dodd, the Everyday Astronaut, Pat, SmallSpark Space Systems, Frank, Kris, Stealth Julian, The Astrogators at SEE, Warren, Benjamin, Steve, Chris, Theo and Violet, David, Pat from KC, Dawn Aerospace, Bob, Harrison, and four anonymous—and 828 other supporters.

Topics

• Vulcan Centaur launches Peregrine lunar lander on inaugural mission - SpaceNews
• Blue Origin gets U.S. Space Force funding for New Glenn ‘integration studies’ - SpaceNews
• NASA urged Astrobotic not to send its hamstrung spacecraft toward the Moon | Ars Technica
• Update #17 for Peregrine Mission One | Astrobotic
• Update #20 for Peregrine Mission One | Astrobotic
• Japan’s SLIM achieved pinpoint moon landing with just one working engine - SpaceNews
• Dawoon Jung on X: “One of #SLIM main engines fell off during landing”
• NASA Shares Progress Toward Early Artemis Moon Missions with Crew - NASA
• NASA delays Artemis 2 and 3 missions - SpaceNews

The Show

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Alex Fielding, CEO and Chairman of Privateer, joins me to talk about what they’re working on and what drives them as an organization.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 36 executive producers—Joel, The Astrogators at SEE, Chris, Joonas, Tyler, Bob, Craig from SpaceHappyHour.com, Theo and Violet, SmallSpark Space Systems, Matt, Harrison, Benjamin, Kris, Stealth Julian, Donald, David, Fred, Lee Hopkins, Pat from KC, Pat, Frank, Will and Lars from Agile Space, Dawn Aerospace, Jan, Russell, Better Every Day Studios, Steve, Tim Dodd, the Everyday Astronaut, Warren, Ryan, Brandon, and four anonymous—and 828 other supporters.

Topics

• Privateer
• Pono in Space! Reflections on the road to orbit - Privateer Space

The Show

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A special (free!) airing of this week’s episode of MECO Headlines. Starship IFT-2, Dragonfly, Ariane 6, ISS happenings, launches, and more.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 35 executive producers—Donald, Pat from KC, David, Theo and Violet, Dawn Aerospace, Steve, SmallSpark Space Systems, Jan, Chris, Bob, Tyler, Stealth Julian, Kris, Russell, Pat, Fred, Craig from SpaceHappyHour.com, Tim Dodd, the Everyday Astronaut, Will and Lars from Agile Space, Lee, Warren, Harrison, Brandon, Joonas, The Astrogators at SEE, Matt, Ryan, Joel, Frank, Benjamin, and four anonymous—and 835 other supporters.

Topics

• After upgrades, Starship achieves numerous successes during second test flight - NASASpaceFlight.com
• Starship/Super Heavy lifts off on second flight - SpaceNews
• Ariane 6 completes long-duration static-fire test - SpaceNews
• ESA sets mid-2024 date for first Ariane 6 launch - SpaceNews
• NASA’s Dragonfly to Proceed with Final Mission Design Work - NASA Science
• NASA postpones Dragonfly review, launch date - SpaceNews
• Space Station – Off The Earth, For The Earth
• Dragon Kicks Off Robotics and Science Activities on Station – Space Station
• Robotics Activities Continue; Crew Completes an Array of Research – Space Station
• Aging, Human Research Studies Ahead of Next Cargo Mission – Space Station
• China launches new-gen Haiyang ocean monitoring satellite - SpaceNews
• Launch Roundup: Starship, Falcon 9, and Chang Zheng-2C this week - NASASpaceFlight.com
• SatTrackCam Leiden (b)log: North Korea successfully launches the Malligyong-1 reconnaissance satellite
• China conducts launch to test satellite internet capabilities - SpaceNews
• Launch Roundup: SpaceX on pace to hit 100 launches in 2023, Soyuz to launch Bars-M - NASASpaceFlight.com

The Show

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ESA is looking to start a commercial cargo program while looking further ahead to commercial space stations by signing an agreement with Airbus and Voyager. Virgin Galactic is laying off 20% of its staff and ending VSS Unity flights in just a few months.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 35 executive producers—Russell, Joonas, Kris, SmallSpark Space Systems, Tim Dodd, the Everyday Astronaut, Jan, Chris, David, Warren, Stealth Julian, Craig from SpaceHappyHour.com, Pat from KC, Frank, Donald, Pat, Fred, Dawn Aerospace, Ryan, Steve, Tyler, Brandon, Harrison, Theo and Violet, Will and Lars from Agile Space, Joel, The Astrogators at SEE, Lee, Benjamin, Bob, Matt, and four anonymous—and 821 other supporters.

Topics

• Voyager Space and Airbus create commercial space station joint venture - SpaceNews
• ESA to start commercial cargo program - SpaceNews
• Airbus and Voyager sign agreement with ESA on Starlab commercial space station - SpaceNews
• Virgin Galactic lays off staff as it focuses on next-generation suborbital vehicle - SpaceNews
• Virgin Galactic to halt Unity suborbital flights by mid-2024 - SpaceNews
• Virgin Galactic’s president explains how VSS Unity is now flying frequently | Ars Technica

The Show

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Marcia Smith of SpacePolicyOnline.com joins me for a roundup of space policy topics—the House Speaker mayhem, the outlook for budgets over the next year, what to do about the ISS and its related expenses, and a lot more.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 35 executive producers—Frank, Kris, Tyler, Fred, Lee, Pat from KC, Dawn Aerospace, Stealth Julian, Craig from SpaceHappyHour.com, Theo and Violet, Steve, Benjamin, Warren, Pat, Donald, Joel, David, Ryan, Will and Lars from Agile Space, Bob, The Astrogators at SEE, Tim Dodd, the Everyday Astronaut, Jan, SmallSpark Space Systems, Joonas, Brandon, Harrison, Matt, Chris, Russell, and four anonymous—and 838 other supporters.

Topics

• SpacePolicyOnline.com – Your first stop for news, information and analysis about civil, military and commercial space programs
• Shutdown Averted, Government Funded Until November 17 – SpacePolicyOnline.com
• Speaker Mike Johnson: “The People’s House is Back in Business” – SpacePolicyOnline.com
• NASA Safety Panel Issues Clarion Call for ISS Deorbit Tug – SpacePolicyOnline.com
• NASA Upbeat About Future of Mars Sample Return Despite IRB-2 Report – SpacePolicyOnline.com
• SpaceX Warns Government Regulations Slowing Starship, Could Let China Get Ahead – SpacePolicyOnline.com
• NASA IG Skeptical of Major SLS Cost Savings From Services Contract – SpacePolicyOnline.com

The Show

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