Podcast
Main Engine Cut Off
Hosted by Anthony Colangelo · EN
MECO is opinion and analysis of spaceflight, exploration, policy, and strategy, by Anthony Colangelo.
19episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
T+331: Checking in on K2 (with Neel Kunjur, Co-Founder and CTO)
1w ago00:44:13Tap to summarizeNeel Kunjur, Co-Founder and CTO of K2 Space, joins me to talk about their hardware in space today, how their vision and plans have evolved over the past few years, and how industry changes like the push for orbital data centers have impacted their future. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 32 executive producers—Lee, Steve, Josh from Impulse, Kris, David, Miles O’Brien, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Jan, Donald, Frank, Better Every Day Studios, Stealth Julian, The Astrogators at SEE, Ryan, Matt, Warren, Will and Lars from Agile, Pat, Fred, Joonas, Theo and Violet, Russell, Joel, Natasha Tsakos, Joakim, and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters. Topics High-Power Satellite Platforms | K2 Space | Build Bigger T+270: K2 Space (with Neel Kunjur, Co-Founder and CTO) - Main Engine Cut Off Investors commit quarter-billion dollars to startup designing “Giga” satellites - Ars Technica Episode 241 - Maybe the Denver Airport (with Andrew Rush) - Off-Nominal Anduril teams with commercial space firms, Sandia lab on Golden Dome interceptor program - SpaceNews Space Force taps K2 satellites to test laser communications for missile-defense - SpaceNews 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/Bill Ingalls Work with me and my design and development agency: Pine Works
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T+330: 10 Years of MECO
Apr 2400:32:28Tap to summarizeThe show turned 10 last Monday, so I thought it would be fun to have our good friend Jake Robins on to look back at where we were then, what’s happened since, and what that teaches us about the future. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 32 executive producers—Donald, Ryan, Joakim, Better Every Day Studios, Stealth Julian, David, Theo and Violet, Lee, Miles O’Brien, Will and Lars from Agile, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), The Astrogators at SEE, Frank, Steve, Russell, Matt, Joel, Kris, Natasha Tsakos, Pat, Jan, Warren, Fred, Joonas, Josh from Impulse, and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters. Topics T-0: The Near Future of US-Based Competitors - Main Engine Cut Off T+1: The Near Future of NASA’s Orion and SLS Programs - Main Engine Cut Off 1 – The Waxing Interest in Mars T+23: SpaceX Mars Architecture Initial Reactions - Main Engine Cut Off 13 – Making Humans Multiplanetary (feat. Anthony Colangelo) 65 – Starship on Course (feat. Anthony Colangelo) T+135: Jake Robins on Starship - Main Engine Cut Off wemartians comments on Main Engine Cut Off — A new, short, weekly podcast about spaceflight and exploration 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/Bill Ingalls Work with me and my design and development agency: Pine Works
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T+329: Katalyst Space and the Mission to Boost Swift (with Ghonhee Lee, Founder and CEO)
Apr 2300:44:47Tap to summarizeGhonhee Lee, CEO of Katalyst Space, joins me to talk about their upcoming mission to boost NASA’s Swift observatory, and how they are approaching in-orbit services differently than those that came before. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 32 executive producers—Donald, Ryan, Joakim, Better Every Day Studios, Stealth Julian, David, Theo and Violet, Lee, Miles O’Brien, Will and Lars from Agile, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), The Astrogators at SEE, Frank, Steve, Russell, Matt, Joel, Kris, Natasha Tsakos, Pat, Jan, Warren, Fred, Joonas, Josh from Impulse, and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters. Topics Upgrade Satellites Post-Launch | Katalyst Space Technologies A unique NASA satellite is falling out of orbit—this team is trying to rescue it - Ars Technica Swift spacecraft reorientation buys time for reboost mission - SpaceNews Katalyst Space acquires Atomos to accelerate in-space services - SpaceNews Arianespace to launch Katalyst servicing spacecraft - SpaceNews LinkedIn post with the mission patch 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/Bill Ingalls Work with me and my design and development agency: Pine Works
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T+328: Pam Melroy, Former NASA Deputy Administrator and Space Shuttle Commander
Apr 900:52:22Tap to summarizePam Melroy, Former NASA Deputy Administrator, Space Shuttle Commander, and three-time Shuttle astronaut, joins me to talk about space policy past, present, and future. We talk about the most critical decisions and moments during her time as Deputy Administrator under Administrator Bill Nelson, and her thoughts on the Isaacman-era space policy from Ignition to Commercial LEO, and what to do about Mars Sample Return. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 32 executive producers—Steve, Lee, Russell, Stealth Julian, Warren, Miles O’Brien, Josh from Impulse, Joel, David, Natasha Tsakos, Joakim, Will and Lars from Agile, Frank, Better Every Day Studios, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Donald, The Astrogators at SEE, Jan, Joonas, Pat, Matt, Kris, Fred, Theo and Violet, Ryan, and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters. Topics Pamela Melroy (@Astro_Pam) / X NASA Statement on Nomination of Pam Melroy for Agency Deputy Administrator - NASA Pam Melroy Sworn in as NASA Deputy Administrator - NASA As Artemis Moves Forward, NASA Picks SpaceX to Land Next Americans on Moon - NASA NASA Selects Blue Origin as Second Artemis Lunar Lander Provider - NASA NASA Selects Companies to Develop Commercial Destinations in Space - NASA Op-ed: NASA’s New CLD Strategy Will Lose Mars, LEO to China NASA Sets Path to Return Mars Samples, Seeks Innovative Designs - NASA NASA to Explore Two Landing Options for Returning Samples from Mars - 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/Bill Ingalls Work with me and my design and development agency: Pine Works
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T+327: Artemis II, the Lunar Flyby Edition (with Paul Fjeld)
Apr 701:22:27Tap to summarizeArtemis II completed their lunar flyby yesterday, and it was epic on all levels. Paul Fjeld and I discuss that and many other topics related to Artemis, Apollo, and human spaceflight. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 32 executive producers—Ryan, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Will and Lars from Agile, David, Better Every Day Studios, Kris, Stealth Julian, Joonas, Russell, Warren, Jan, Natasha Tsakos, Steve, Pat, The Astrogators at SEE, Fred, Donald, Miles O’Brien, Matt, Josh from Impulse, Frank, Lee, Joakim, Joel, Theo and Violet, and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters. Topics Space Art by Paul Fjeld NASA’s Artemis II Crew Flies Around the Moon (Official Broadcast) - YouTube Artemis II Multimedia: Crew Photos, Videos and Mission Highlights NASA's Moon ship and rocket seem to be working well, so what about the landers? - Ars Technica T+58: Totality - Main Engine Cut Off 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/Bill Ingalls Work with me and my design and development agency: Pine Works
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T+326: Artemis II Underway
Apr 200:13:30Tap to summarizeArtemis II is underway with a spectacular first day. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 32 executive producers—Donald, Matt, David, Joel, Frank, Better Every Day Studios, Natasha Tsakos, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Lee, Fred, Will and Lars from Agile, Ryan, Warren, The Astrogators at SEE, Pat, Joakim, Miles O’Brien, Steve, Jan, Stealth Julian, Kris, Theo and Violet, Russell, Josh from Impulse, Joonas, and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters. Topics NASA's Artemis II Live Mission Coverage (Official Broadcast) - YouTube Artemis II Flight Update: Perigee Raise Maneuver Complete; NASA to Hold Press Conference Artemis II Flight Update: Apogee Raise Burn Complete, Crew Looks Ahead to Proximity Operations Artemis II Flight Update: Proximity Operations Complete, Perigee Raise Burn Up Next Artemis II Flight Update: Crew and Ground Teams Successfully Troubleshoot Orion’s Toilet Artemis II Flight Update: Perigee Raise Burn Complete 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/Bill Ingalls Work with me and my design and development agency: Pine Works
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T+325: Ignition
Mar 3100:35:05Tap to summarizeThere 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 - NASA Ignition: NASA's Plan for The Moon - YouTube Ignition: NASA's Plan for Science and Discovery - YouTube Ignition: NASA News Conference (March 24, 2026) - YouTube NASA kills lunar space station to focus on ambitious Moon base - Ars Technica We got an audience with the "Lunar Viceroy" to talk how NASA will build a Moon base - Ars Technica Cavossa: CLD Companies Want Stability, Not a New Plan – SpacePolicyOnline.com With 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.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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T+324: Impulse Space (with Tom Mueller, Founder and CEO)
Mar 1700:40:20Tap to summarizeTom 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 Space Careers - Impulse Space Tom Mueller (@lrocket) / X Inside Impulse’s New Colorado Facility Impulse Space Secures $300 Million Series C to Accelerate the Future of In-Space Mobility Starfish Space Completes Autonomous Rendezvous and Proximity Mission in LEO with Impulse Space To 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.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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T+323: The Artemis Roadmap Shakeup
Feb 2700:30:21Tap to summarizeNASA 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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T+322: SpaceX Acquires xAI as it Prepares for IPO, Blue Origin Cancels New Shepard, and Artemis II Delayed (with Loren Grush)
Feb 600:40:44Tap to summarizeLoren 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.TopicsSpaceX Acquires xAI as Musk Prepares for Mega IPO - BloombergSpaceX-xAI Deal Blurs Musk’s Once-Clear Space Exploration Mission - BloombergLoren Brichter, a High Priest of App Design - WSJBlue Origin to Pause New Shepard Flights for No Less Than Two Years | Blue OriginNASA Conducts Artemis II Fuel Test, Eyes March for Launch Opportunity - NASAThe 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 NASA/John KrausWork with me and my design and development agency: Pine Works
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