Episodes

  • T+325: Ignition

    T+325: Ignition
    Mar 31 2026
    There was a lot of news in NASA’s Ignition event last week, and I break down what actually matters: not whether Jared Isaacman’s timelines are realistic, but how this new roadmap strips away architectural dependencies and forces the real bottlenecks into the open. I talk through Gateway’s cancellation, the possible path away from SLS and ICPS, what this means for lunar landers and international partners, and why NASA’s new philosophy feels so different from the past. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 32 executive producers—Steve, Joel, Kris, Josh from Impulse, Will and Lars from Agile, Warren, Natasha Tsakos, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Lee, Joonas, Better Every Day Studios, Russell, Fred, David, Donald, Frank, Miles O’Brien, Jan, Joakim, The Astrogators at SEE, Stealth Julian, Theo and Violet, Matt, Pat, Ryan, and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters. Topics Ignition - NASAIgnition: NASA's Plan for The Moon - YouTubeIgnition: NASA's Plan for Science and Discovery - YouTubeIgnition: NASA News Conference (March 24, 2026) - YouTubeNASA kills lunar space station to focus on ambitious Moon base - Ars TechnicaWe got an audience with the "Lunar Viceroy" to talk how NASA will build a Moon base - Ars TechnicaCavossa: CLD Companies Want Stability, Not a New Plan – SpacePolicyOnline.comWith Artemis Changes, Europe is Left Holding the Bag The Show Like the show? Support the show on Patreon or Substack!Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to anthony@mainenginecutoff.comFollow @WeHaveMECOFollow @meco@spacey.space on MastodonListen to MECO HeadlinesListen to Off-NominalJoin the Off-Nominal DiscordSubscribe on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn or elsewhereSubscribe to the Main Engine Cut Off NewsletterArtwork photo by NASA/John KrausWork with me and my design and development agency: Pine Works
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    35 mins
  • T+324: Impulse Space (with Tom Mueller, Founder and CEO)

    T+324: Impulse Space (with Tom Mueller, Founder and CEO)
    Mar 17 2026
    Tom Mueller, Founder and CEO of Impulse Space, joins me to catch up on the company’s progress and plans—3 Mira missions flown, Helios soon to fly, $525M raised, new defense contracts, a lunar lander concept, and a new Colorado facility. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 33 executive producers—Joel, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Warren, Steve, Ryan, Will and Lars from Agile, Natasha Tsakos, Russell, Joakim, Theo and Violet, The Astrogators at SEE, Matt, Lee, Donald, Heiko, Better Every Day Studios, Josh from Impulse, Miles O’Brien, Stealth Julian, David, Joonas, Kris, Frank, Jan, Fred, Pat, and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters. Topics Impulse SpaceCareers - Impulse SpaceTom Mueller (@lrocket) / XInside Impulse’s New Colorado FacilityImpulse Space Secures $300 Million Series C to Accelerate the Future of In-Space MobilityStarfish Space Completes Autonomous Rendezvous and Proximity Mission in LEO with Impulse SpaceTo the Moon (and Beyond): How Impulse Can Deliver More Mass to the Lunar Surface ​​​​‌‍​‍​‍‌‍‌​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‌‌‍‍​‍​‍​‍‍​‍​‍‌​‌‍​‌‌‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‌​‌‍‌​‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‍​‍​‍​‍​​‍​‍‌‍‍​‌​‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‍​‍​‍​‍‍​‍​‍​‍‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‍‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌​​‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​‌‍‍‌‌‌​​‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‌​‌‍‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌‍‌‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‍‍​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌​​‌​​​‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‍​‌‍​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​​​​‍‌‌‍​‌‍‌‍​‍​‌‍‌​​‍‌​‌​​‌‍​​‌​‍‌​‍‌​‍​‌‍‌‌​‍​‌‍​‍​‍‌‌‍​‍‌‍‌‍​‌​​‍‌​‍​​​‍​‌‌‍​‌​​‍‌‍​‌‍‌‌​‌​‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌​​‌‍‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‍‌​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‌‌​‍‌​​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍​​‌‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‌​‌‍​‌‍‌‌​‌‍​‍‌‍​‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‍‌‍​​‌​‍‌‌​​‍‌​‌‍‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‍‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍​‍‌‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌​​‌​​​‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‍​‌‍​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​​​​‍‌‌‍​‌‍‌‍​‍​‌‍‌​​‍‌​‌​​‌‍​​‌​‍‌​‍‌​‍​‌‍‌‌​‍​‌‍​‍​‍‌‌‍​‍‌‍‌‍​‌​​‍‌​‍​​​‍​‌‌‍​‌​​‍‌‍​‌‍‌‌​‌​‍‌‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌​​‌‍‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‍‌​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‌‌​‍‌‍‌​​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍​​‌‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‌​‌‍​‌‍‌‌​‍​‍‌‌Introducing the Upgraded Mira: Bringing In-Space Mobility to GEO and Beyond The Show Like the show? Support the show on Patreon or Substack!Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to anthony@mainenginecutoff.comFollow @WeHaveMECOFollow @meco@spacey.space on MastodonListen to MECO HeadlinesListen to Off-NominalJoin the Off-Nominal DiscordSubscribe on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn or elsewhereSubscribe to the Main Engine Cut Off NewsletterArtwork photo by NASA/John KrausWork with me and my design and development agency: Pine Works
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    40 mins
  • T+323: The Artemis Roadmap Shakeup

    T+323: The Artemis Roadmap Shakeup
    Feb 27 2026

    NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced a sweeping roadmap change to the Artemis program this morning—seemingly cancelling the EUS, Gateway, and all SLS upgrades, and instead pursuing the once-and-future annual launch cadence of SLS.

    This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 33 executive producers—David, Russell, Pat, Better Every Day Studios, Joonas, Josh from Impulse, Theo and Violet, Steve, Jan, Will and Lars from Agile, Miles O’Brien, Kris, Fred, Stealth Julian, Frank, Joakim, Ryan, Warren, Matt, The Astrogators at SEE, Joel, Lee, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Donald, Natasha Tsakos, Heiko, and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters.

    Topics

    • NASA shakes up its Artemis program to speed up lunar return - Ars Technica
    • NASA Adds Mission to Artemis Lunar Program, Updates Architecture - NASA
    • NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman on X: “President Trump gave the world the Artemis Program, and NASA and our partners have the plan to deliver. We will standardize architecture where possible, add missions and accelerate flight rate, execute in an evolutionary way, and safely return American astronauts to the Moon…”
    • NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman on X: “…and this is how we’re going back.”
    • Teams Begin Artemis II Repairs in Vehicle Assembly Building - NASA

    The Show

    • Like the show? Support the show on Patreon or Substack!
    • Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to anthony@mainenginecutoff.com
    • Follow @WeHaveMECO
    • Follow @meco@spacey.space on Mastodon
    • Listen to MECO Headlines
    • Listen to Off-Nominal
    • 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
    • Artwork photo by NASA/John Kraus
    • Work with me and my design and development agency: Pine Works
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    30 mins
  • T+322: SpaceX Acquires xAI as it Prepares for IPO, Blue Origin Cancels New Shepard, and Artemis II Delayed (with Loren Grush)

    T+322: SpaceX Acquires xAI as it Prepares for IPO, Blue Origin Cancels New Shepard, and Artemis II Delayed (with Loren Grush)
    Feb 6 2026

    Loren Grush, of Bloomberg, joins me to talk about SpaceX’s acquisition of xAI, its preparation for a potential IPO, Blue Origin’s cancellation of New Shepard and their recent momentum, and the delay to Artemis II following its first wet dress rehearsal.

    This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 33 executive producers—David, Natasha Tsakos, Stealth Julian, Warren, Joakim, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Miles O’Brien, Pat, Better Every Day Studios, Will and Lars from Agile, The Astrogators at SEE, Steve, Joonas, Frank, Fred, Heiko, Donald, Lee, Russell, Kris, Ryan, Theo and Violet, Joel, Matt, Jan, Josh from Impulse, and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters.

    Topics

    • SpaceX Acquires xAI as Musk Prepares for Mega IPO - Bloomberg
    • SpaceX-xAI Deal Blurs Musk’s Once-Clear Space Exploration Mission - Bloomberg
    • Loren Brichter, a High Priest of App Design - WSJ
    • Blue Origin to Pause New Shepard Flights for No Less Than Two Years | Blue Origin
    • NASA Conducts Artemis II Fuel Test, Eyes March for Launch Opportunity - NASA

    The Show

    • Like the show? Support the show on Patreon or Substack!
    • Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to anthony@mainenginecutoff.com
    • Follow @WeHaveMECO
    • Follow @meco@spacey.space on Mastodon
    • Listen to MECO Headlines
    • Listen to Off-Nominal
    • 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
    • Artwork photo by NASA/John Kraus
    • Work with me and my design and development agency: Pine Works
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    41 mins
  • T+321: Artemis II, New Glenn’s First Reflight, Blue Origin’s TeraWave, and Tory Bruno’s Job Switch

    T+321: Artemis II, New Glenn’s First Reflight, Blue Origin’s TeraWave, and Tory Bruno’s Job Switch
    Jan 23 2026
    Artemis II is on the pad, and I can’t stop thinking about it. So I guess listen to me think in the open? Also, a ton of Blue Origin news—the next flight of New Glenn will feature a flown booster, they’ve announced constellation plans under the name TeraWave, and Tory Bruno has left ULA to join the team at Blue.This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 33 executive producers—Matt, Fred, Will and Lars from Agile, Kris, Lee, Jan, Frank, Miles O’Brien, Josh from Impulse, Theo and Violet, Ryan, Joakim, Stealth Julian, Heiko, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Better Every Day Studios, Joel, Steve, Joonas, The Astrogators at SEE, Pat, Warren, Natasha Tsakos, Russell, David, Donald, and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters.TopicsNASA’s Moonbound Artemis II Rocket Reaches Launch Pad - NASAFinal Steps Underway for NASA’s First Crewed Artemis Moon Mission - NASAIs Orion’s heat shield really safe? New NASA chief conducts final review on eve of flight. - Ars TechnicaBlue Origin makes impressive strides with reuse—next launch will refly booster - Ars TechnicaNew Glenn-3 to Launch AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird Satellite | Blue OriginBlue Origin on X: “Our lunar lander is headed to the Lone Star State! ⭐ Blue Moon MK1 departed from Florida today, bound for @NASA_Johnson's Thermal Vacuum Chamber A, where it will undergo testing at the same facility as the Apollo spacecraft.”Another Jeff Bezos company has announced plans to develop a megaconstellation - Ars TechnicaFirst Take: What We Think Blue Origin’s TeraWave Actually Is (and Isn’t)In a surprise announcement, Tory Bruno is out as CEO of United Launch Alliance - Ars TechnicaBlue Origin on X: “We’re pleased to announce that @torybruno is joining Blue Origin as president, National Security, reporting to CEO Dave Limp. Tory will spearhead our newly formed National Security Group.”The ShowLike the show? Support the show on Patreon or Substack!Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to anthony@mainenginecutoff.comFollow @WeHaveMECOFollow @meco@spacey.space on MastodonListen to MECO HeadlinesListen to Off-NominalJoin the Off-Nominal DiscordSubscribe on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn or elsewhereSubscribe to the Main Engine Cut Off NewsletterArtwork photo by Blue OriginWork with me and my design and development agency: Pine Works
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    31 mins
  • T+320: NASA’s FY2026 Budget, the Isaacman Era, and the Eve of Artemis II (with Casey Dreier)

    T+320: NASA’s FY2026 Budget, the Isaacman Era, and the Eve of Artemis II (with Casey Dreier)
    Jan 22 2026

    Casey Dreier of The Planetary Society joins me to talk about the NASA FY2026 budget, the early days of the Administrator Isaacman era, and how we feel going into Artemis II.

    This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 33 executive producers—Matt, Fred, Will and Lars from Agile, Kris, Lee, Jan, Frank, Miles O’Brien, Josh from Impulse, Theo and Violet, Ryan, Joakim, Stealth Julian, Heiko, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Better Every Day Studios, Joel, Steve, Joonas, The Astrogators at SEE, Pat, Warren, Natasha Tsakos, Russell, David, Donald, and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters.

    Topics

    • Casey Dreier | The Planetary Society
    • The Planetary Society
    • You just saved NASA's budget | The Planetary Society
    • 2025 Impact Report | The Planetary Society

    The Show

    • Like the show? Support the show on Patreon or Substack!
    • Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to anthony@mainenginecutoff.com
    • Follow @WeHaveMECO
    • Follow @meco@spacey.space on Mastodon
    • Listen to MECO Headlines
    • Listen to Off-Nominal
    • 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
    • Artwork photo by Blue Origin
    • Work with me and my design and development agency: Pine Works
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    32 mins
  • T+319: Headlines, December 22, 2025

    T+319: Headlines, December 22, 2025
    Dec 23 2025
    A holiday special! Enjoy this week’s episode of Headlines free. It’s an absolute monster episode—way longer than usual Headlines episodes, I promise—but it’s a great example of what you get when you support the show over at mainenginecutoff.com/support.NASA finally—and we really do mean it this time—has a full-time leader - Ars TechnicaAgencywide Town Hall with NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025 - YouTubeTrump commits to Moon landing by 2028, followed by a lunar outpost two years later - Ars TechnicaNASA Teams Work MAVEN Spacecraft Signal Loss - NASA ScienceNASA Continues MAVEN Spacecraft Recontact Efforts - NASA ScienceSpaceX Sets $800 Billion Valuation, Confirms 2026 IPO Plans - BloombergSpaceX $1.5 Trillion Value Target Hinges on Starlink — And Elon - BloombergSpaceX Said to Notify Employees of Quiet Period Ahead of IPO - BloombergIn a surprise announcement, Tory Bruno is out as CEO of United Launch Alliance - Ars TechnicaSpace Development Agency awards $3.5 billion in contracts for missile-tracking satellites - SpaceNewsChinese astronauts inspect debris-damaged Shenzhou-20 spacecraft during spacewalk - SpaceNewsSpace Station – Off The Earth, For The EarthNASA Astronaut Jonny Kim, Crewmates Return from Space Station - NASAAfter key Russian launch site is damaged, NASA accelerates Dragon supply missions - Ars TechnicaR-7 ICBM/Soyuz rocket launch facilities in BaikonurLaunch Roundup: China, Russia, Rocket Lab, ULA join SpaceX in flying this week - NASASpaceFlight.comLaunch Previews: Ariane 6, Falcon 9, Atlas V, and Electron launches highlight busy week - NASASpaceFlight.comLaunch Roundup: International launches fill manifest during last full week of 2025 - NASASpaceFlight.comChina launches 4 times in 4 days, boosting megaconstellation and surveillance assets - SpaceNewsChina launches new TJS satellite, commercial Kinetica-1 lofts 9 spacecraft - SpaceNewsMichael Nicolls on X: “When satellite operators do not share ephemeris for their satellites, dangerously close approaches can occur in space. A few days ago, 9 satellites were deployed from a launch from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwestern China. As far as we know, no coordination or…”China launches experimental cargo spacecraft, opaque tech demo mission and remote sensing satellite - SpaceNewsAndrew Jones on X: “Turns out there were two male mice launched on the DEAR-5 cargo spacecraft for neuroscience research. Spacecraft is planned to operate in orbit for one year and is not rated for reentry, so it's game over at some point for the rodents. Video is prelaunch.”Rocket Lab launches JAXA tech demo satellite - SpaceNewsAriane 6 launches Galileo navigation satellites - SpaceNewsThese are the flying discs the government wants you to know about - Ars TechnicaBlue Origin flies first wheelchair user to space - SpaceNewsRocket Lab wraps up record launch year - SpaceNewsJapan’s H3 suffers second-stage anomaly, QZS-5 satellite lost - SpaceNewsAndrew Jones on XChina launches new Guowang satellites, Long March 12A launch and landing attempt date set - SpaceNewsKeep an eye on upcoming launches with rocketlaunch.live.
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    49 mins
  • T+318: General Chance Saltzman, Chief of Space Operations, United States Space Force

    T+318: General Chance Saltzman, Chief of Space Operations, United States Space Force
    Dec 17 2025
    Yesterday, I had the chance to visit the Pentagon and sit down with General Chance Saltzman, Chief of Space Operations—the head of the United States Space Force. We talk about the service 6 years into its existence, the state of acquisitions, the threats and space environment today, and what the future may hold for the Space Force when it comes to human spaceflight.This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 32 executive producers—Russell, Natasha Tsakos, Will and Lars from Agile, Theo and Violet, David, Matt, Better Every Day Studios, Warren, The Astrogators at SEE, Josh from Impulse, Stealth Julian, Joakim, Frank, Pat, Joel, Donald, Ryan, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Joonas, Jan, Steve, Fred, Lee, Kris, Heiko, and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters.TopicsUnited States Space ForceB. Chance Saltzman > United States Space Force > DisplaySpace Force roadmap set to define what the service needs and why - SpaceNewsUS intel officials “concerned” China will soon master reusable launch - Ars TechnicaAsked why we need Golden Dome, the man in charge points to a Hollywood film - Ars TechnicaSpace Force rolls out new naming scheme for satellites and space weapons - SpaceNewsAndrew Jones on X: “Outrageous images of China's Shijian-26, an apparent new-gen Earth observation satellite, from Maxar. SSD of 1.9 cm.”Andrew Jones on X: “China's CGST has returned the favour, using its Jilin-1 sats to image a Maxar Worldview Legion 2 satellite.”Scott Tilley 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 (@coastal8049) / XThe ShowLike the show? Support the show on Patreon or Substack!Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to anthony@mainenginecutoff.comFollow @WeHaveMECOFollow @meco@spacey.space on MastodonListen to MECO HeadlinesListen to Off-NominalJoin the Off-Nominal DiscordSubscribe on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn or elsewhereSubscribe to the Main Engine Cut Off NewsletterArtwork photo by Blue OriginWork with me and my design and development agency: Pine Works
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    49 mins