T+6: Orbital ATK’s Next-Gen Vehicle, Falcon 9 Proving Its Reusability, and ULA’s Tough Future

T+4: Boeing’s CST-100, SpaceX’s Dragon 2, and a Scorched Falcon 9: Boeing announced [a 6 month delay](http://spacenews.com/boeing-delays-first-crewed-cst-100-flight-to-2018/) in the schedule for their CST-100 crew vehicle. SpaceX’s Dragon 2 is in the lead to be the first Commercial Crew vehicle to fly. The most recently-returned Falcon 9 took [a ton of damage on its way back to the drone ship](https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/731984739012251648) and won’t fly again, but will provide a ton of data for SpaceX to use to make improvements to future Falcon 9 stages. by Main Engine Cut Off

14 min listen

T+1: The Near Future of NASA’s Orion and SLS Programs: An analysis of NASA’s human spaceflight programs, [Orion](http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/orion/index.html) and the [Space Launch System](http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/rocket.html). How we got here, where we’re going, and how things could shake out with an eventful November in US politics coming up. by Main Engine Cut Off

12 min listen

T+9: ExoMars 2016 and 2020, Chinese Partnerships and Policy: The ExoMars 2020 rover received a funding boost and a reassessed schedule, the 2016 orbiter/lander set its sights on Mars, NASA and ESA coordinated a practice communication session, and China opens up to the international space community. by Main Engine Cut Off

18 min listen

T+6: Orbital ATK’s Next-Gen Vehicle, Falcon 9 Proving Its Reusability, and ULA’s Tough Future: Orbital ATK [shared some more details](http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/05/27/details-of-orbital-atks-proposed-heavy-launcher-revealed) about their next-generation launch vehicle, SpaceX is working out their [certification process](http://spacenews.com/spacex-to-brief-underwriters-on-the-road-to-falcon-9-reusability/) for [reflown stages](http://www.spacenewsmag.com/feature/first-stage-the-air-force-looks-at-reusability/), and how these events affect the industry and other competitors in the near future. by Main Engine Cut Off

16 min listen

T+34: SpaceX’s COPV Investigation and Return to Flight: SpaceX wrapped up their investigation into the Amos-6 explosion, and the news is mixed. I discuss their findings, their path back to flight, and some other 2016-2017 odds and ends. by Main Engine Cut Off

23 min listen

T+24: ULA’s RapidLaunch and Commercial Market Competitiveness: After a few busy weeks of Blue Origin and SpaceX news, I spend some time talking about ULA’s RapidLaunch program and how they are working to get competitive within the commercial market. by Main Engine Cut Off

23 min listen

T+27: Financial vs. Political Capital and Mission Sustainability: In light of the recent Schiaparelli lander failure, I discuss the differences between missions supported by financial and political capital, and how those differences will play out in the next era of space exploration. by Main Engine Cut Off

30 min listen

T+11: SpaceX’s LZ-1 Expansion, Dream Chaser’s UN Ambitions, China and ESA’s Growing Relationship: SpaceX printed a public notice in Florida Today on July 3rd outlining plans for LZ-1 expansion. Sierra Nevada Corporation and the United Nations signed a Memorandum of Understanding regarding future use of Dream Chaser by UN member countries. China solidified partnerships with The Netherlands and Poland, continuing the growth of the China-ESA relationship. by Main Engine Cut Off

25 min listen

T+25: Falcon 9 Updates and the 10% Discount: Gwynne Shotwell, President of SpaceX, spoke at two events and dropped some tidbits about the Falcon 9 investigation, future versions of the vehicle, and what kind of discount they would offer for “flight-proven” stages. I break down the new info, and discuss their reusability discount. by Main Engine Cut Off

30 min listen

T+2: SpaceX’s Red Dragon, Falcon Performance, and the Political Fallout of OA-6: SpaceX officially announced their [first Red Dragon mission to Mars](https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2016/04/spacex-debut-red-dragon-2018-mars-mission/), which will pave the way for future missions. They also posted [new performance metrics](http://www.spacex.com/about/capabilities) for Falcon 9 and Heavy, which position the launch vehicles very differently in the market. And a brief discussion of the [potential political fallout](http://spacenews.com/the-rd-180-amendment-was-one-of-two-launch-related-provisions-that-made-it-into-the-national-defense-authorization-act-of-2017-by-the-time-the-committee-voted-60-to-2-to-send-the-bill-to-the-full/) over the [OA-6 launch anomaly](https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2016/04/oa-6-atlas-v-booster-mrcv-anomoly/). by Main Engine Cut Off

14 min listen

T-0: The Near Future of US-Based Competitors: An analysis of the intricate dance between [United Launch Alliance](http://www.ulalaunch.com), [SpaceX](http://www.spacex.com), and [Blue Origin](https://www.blueorigin.com) as we enter the next era of spaceflight. by Main Engine Cut Off

18 min listen

T+15: More SLS Roadmap Details, and Landed Falcon 9 Static Fires: The roadmap for SLS got a little murkier this week thanks to some additional details in the GAO report regarding its cost and schedule. SpaceX test fired a landed core three times in three days last week, paving the way for reuse of the CRS-8 core. by Main Engine Cut Off

18 min listen

T+3: Falcon 9 GTO Mission Drone Ship Landing, Orbital ATK’s Current and Future Launch Vehicles: SpaceX [landed another Falcon 9 first stage](https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2016/05/falcon-9-jcsat-14-launch/) on their drone ship—this time on a GTO launch, which is a major milestone on their way to full reusability and [Falcon Heavy flights](http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/05/03/spacex-undecided-on-payload-for-first-falcon-heavy-flight/). Orbital ATK’s Antares launch vehicle is set for [an early July return to flight](http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/05/09/key-return-to-flight-milestone-looms-for-antares-rocket/), and they’re in the planning stages of [a new heavy-launch vehicle](https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2016/04/orbital-atk-eye-vab-mlp-potential-eelv-rocket/). by Main Engine Cut Off

12 min listen

T+8: Masten’s Xodiac and XaeroB, Blue Origin’s Next Flight of New Shepard: Masten Space Systems released a video of test flights of their two latest vehicles. Blue Origin was awarded a NASA Flight Opportunities contract, is planning the 4th flight of New Shepard, and began clearing land for their factory just outside Kennedy Space Center. by Main Engine Cut Off

13 min listen

T+23: SpaceX Mars Architecture Initial Reactions: Elon Musk took the stage at the IAC this week and unveiled SpaceX’s architecture for their planetary exploration and colonization plans. Jake from WeMartians and I discuss our initial reactions to and takeaways from the event. by Main Engine Cut Off

58 min listen

T+12: The Competition of Reusability Between Falcon 9, Vulcan, and Ariane 6: Ted Cruz called a hearing on NASA’s space exploration policy in the next president’s administration. The president of France’s CNES discussed some policy statements, and I went on a rant about his thoughts on Ariane 6 and its competition. by Main Engine Cut Off

23 min listen

T+10: Logan Kamperschroer on the Current State and Near Future of Storable Propellants: This week I talked to Logan Kamperschroer, a Graduate Research Assistant at the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Purdue University. Logan’s research focuses on hypergolic rocket fuels—specifically the push to move away from the toxic storable propellants (hydrazine and its derivatives) to “greener” alternatives. We talked about the current state of storable propellants, and where things are going in the near future. by Main Engine Cut Off

28 min listen

T+35: NASA Policy Grab Bag: While we don’t yet have hard details on which direction NASA programs are headed during the Trump administration, we have started to get some hints. The leadership of the Congressional subcommittees that NASA depends on will be largely unchanged, and Boeing and SpaceX were each promised 4 more Commercial Crew flights. I also talk a little bit about how the Air Force One and F-35 situations apply to NASA programs. by Main Engine Cut Off

21 min listen

T+20: Mike Johnson, Chief Designer at NanoRacks on NanoRacks’ History, NextSTEP, and Wet Workshops: Mike Johnson, Chief Designer at NanoRacks, joined me this week to talk about his incredibly interesting career in spaceflight, the past and future of NanoRacks, their NextSTEP proposal, and a handful of other topics. by Main Engine Cut Off

52 min listen

T+7: Bezos and Musk at Code Conference, and a Hard Look at Vulcan’s Economics: Some interesting tidbits emerged from interviews with [Jeff Bezos](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guVxubbQQKE) and [Elon Musk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsixsRI-Sz4) at Code Conference. And a hard look at the economics of [United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan](http://www.ulalaunch.com/Products_Vulcan.aspx). by Main Engine Cut Off

25 min listen

T+5: Space Stations Around the Moon and Mars, ExoMars 2016, and China’s Momentum in Space: Orbital ATK and Lockheed Martin unveiled proposals for space stations around the [Moon by 2020](https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2016/05/orbital-atk-cislunar-habitat-missions-sls-orion), and [Mars by 2028](http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/organizations/lockheed-martin-organizations/lockheed-martin-outlines-plan-to-send-humans-to-mars-orbit-by-2028/). ExoMars 2016 completed a [functionality analysis test](https://www.thalesgroup.com/en/worldwide/space/press-release/thales-alenia-space-built-exomars-spacecraft-completes-functionality) ahead of its October arrival at Mars. China revealed plans for [its third space station](http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/missions/human-spaceflight/china-reveals-design-planned-tiangong-3-space-station/), and is set to [launch a new rocket](http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/05/18/china-to-debut-new-rocket-and-spaceport-next-month), with a new spacecraft, from a new lau by Main Engine Cut Off

17 min listen

T+14: The Post-EM-1 Roadmap for SLS, and Potential Uses for SpaceX’s BFR: Before Mars and exploration-centric talk, I talk about Orbital ATK’s agreement for exclusive use of LMP-103S. Then I take a hard look at the post-EM-1 roadmap for SLS, and theorize some potential uses for SpaceX’s giant Mars-bound rocket—lovingly referred to as the Big F…alcon… Rocket (BFR). by Main Engine Cut Off

26 min listen

T+21: Blue Origin Previews New Glenn: Blue Origin surprised us all by previewing their massive next rocket, New Glenn. I discuss the few details we know, how New Glenn could fit into the market, what questions need to be answered, and many other things to consider in the wake of the announcement. I also touch on some plans I’ve got to cover SpaceX’s upcoming Mars announcement in tandem with Jake from WeMartians. by Main Engine Cut Off

33 min listen

T+18: Robert Zubrin on Mars Exploration and Colonization Internationally, within NASA, and at SpaceX: Dr. Robert Zubrin, President of The Mars Society, creator of Mars Direct, and author of The Case for Mars is on the show this week to discuss Mars exploration and colonization internationally, within NASA, and at SpaceX. by Main Engine Cut Off

35 min listen

T+13: SpaceX’s CRS-9 Success, Senate Hearing Recap, and US-Russian Plans for the Moon: SpaceX had a great night launching the CRS-9 mission, and it’s all good signs for their future. The Senate hearing, as I predicted, was focused on maintaining the status quo. US and Russian engineers and scientists have some ideas on the future of international space policy. by Main Engine Cut Off

25 min listen

T+26: OA-5, Antares, and Orbital ATK’s Road Ahead: I took a trip down to Wallops Island, Virginia this week for the launch of OA-5—the return to flight for Antares, sending Cygnus up to the ISS on a resupply mission. I recorded this episode on the long drive home afterwards, and talked about what Antares’ return means for Orbital ATK and what their future may hold—both good and bad. by Main Engine Cut Off

37 min listen

T+29: Commercializing the NASA Exploration Roadmap: Following up on last show’s topic, there are signs that NASA may be moving away from Orion in the future. I discuss how I see NASA modernizing their exploration roadmap, politically, in the next administration. by Main Engine Cut Off

33 min listen

T+32: Soyuz-U Failure and Satellite Servicing: A Progress launch failed on its way to the ISS, so I discuss how this may affect the politics of the ISS and NASA going forward. And then I get into some thoughts on satellite servicing in general, and specifically surrounding Restore-L and Orbital ATK’s Mission Extension Vehicle. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 3 executive producers—@spacepat_o, Matt Giraitis, and one anonymous—and 25 other supporters on Patreon. by Main Engine Cut Off

24 min listen

T+33: SpaceX’s Commercial Crew Delay, Fueling Process Approved, and the Inmarsat-Falcon Heavy Situation: Inmarsat, under regulatory pressure to get flying, decided to take a mid-2017 launch slot on Ariane 5, moving away from Falcon Heavy. Everyone thinks it’s a big deal, but for the wrong reason. And SpaceX’s Commercial Crew flights have been delayed, but we did find out that NASA’s Safety Technical Review Board approved their plan to load crew before fueling. That is a big deal. by Main Engine Cut Off

17 min listen

T+22: SpaceX Mars Architecture Announcement Preamble: SpaceX is set to make an announcement next week at the IAC 2016 regarding their Mars colonization architecture. I talk about what we know, what I expect to see, and what I hope is included in their plans. by Main Engine Cut Off

41 min listen

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T+6: Orbital ATK’s Next-Gen Vehicle, Falcon 9 Proving Its Reusability, and ULA’s Tough Future

T+6: Orbital ATK’s Next-Gen Vehicle, Falcon 9 Proving Its Reusability, and ULA’s Tough Future

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