Cover image of Main Engine Cut Off

Main Engine Cut Off

MECO is opinion and analysis of spaceflight, exploration, policy, and strategy, by Anthony Colangelo.

Ranked #1

Podcast cover

T+94: #dearMoon

T+94: #dearMoon

Some thoughts on the #dearMoon project, SpaceX’s announcement, and the essence of SpaceX’s strategy—bringing us along fo... Read more

24 Sep 2018

19mins

Ranked #2

Podcast cover

T+140: Launch Protests and Lander Hopefuls

T+140: Launch Protests and Lander Hopefuls

Blue Origin successfully protested the US Air Force’s RFP for the National Security Space Launch program, which will hav... Read more

27 Nov 2019

23mins

Similar Podcasts

Ranked #3

Podcast cover

T+7: Bezos and Musk at Code Conference, and a Hard Look at Vulcan’s Economics

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 and Elon Musk at Code Conference. And a hard look at th... Read more

8 Jun 2016

25mins

Ranked #4

Podcast cover

T+124: Gateway Logistics Services, FY2020 NDAA, and Small GEO Satellites

T+124: Gateway Logistics Services, FY2020 NDAA, and Small GEO Satellites

NASA put out a draft RFP for Gateway Logistic Services, the House Armed Services’ Committee weighs in on the US Air Forc... Read more

20 Jun 2019

24mins

Most Popular Podcasts

Ranked #5

Podcast cover

T+2: SpaceX’s Red Dragon, Falcon Performance, and the Political Fallout of OA-6

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, which will pave the way for future missions. They al... Read more

4 May 2016

14mins

Ranked #6

Podcast cover

T+149: Let’s Talk About Starship with Tim Dodd, the Everyday Astronaut

T+149: Let’s Talk About Starship with Tim Dodd, the Everyday Astronaut

Tim Dodd, the Everyday Astronaut, joins me to talk all about SpaceX’s Starship, its history thus far, it’s nearly-imposs... Read more

28 Feb 2020

1hr 4mins

Ranked #7

Podcast cover

T+127: Gateway Habitat, Starhopper, and ABL Space Systems

T+127: Gateway Habitat, Starhopper, and ABL Space Systems

I share some thoughts on three important stories from this week: NASA quietly announced their intention to sole source t... Read more

28 Jul 2019

20mins

Ranked #8

Podcast cover

T+138: Peter Beck, Founder of Rocket Lab

T+138: Peter Beck, Founder of Rocket Lab

Peter Beck, Founder, CEO, and CTO of Rocket Lab, joins me to talk about what they’ve been up to with Electron and Photon... Read more

30 Oct 2019

29mins

Ranked #9

Podcast cover

T+125: Andrew Jones

T+125: Andrew Jones

Andrew Jones returns to the show to update us on China’s various efforts. We talk Chang’e-4 and Yutu-2, the mysterious L... Read more

3 Jul 2019

19mins

Ranked #10

Podcast cover

T+3: Falcon 9 GTO Mission Drone Ship Landing, Orbital ATK’s Current and Future Launch Vehicles

T+3: Falcon 9 GTO Mission Drone Ship Landing, Orbital ATK’s Current and Future Launch Vehicles

SpaceX landed another Falcon 9 first stage on their drone ship—this time on a GTO launch, which is a major milestone on ... Read more

11 May 2016

11mins

Ranked #11

Podcast cover

T+142: T.S. Kelso, CelesTrak and AGI

T+142: T.S. Kelso, CelesTrak and AGI

Last week, I took a ride out to the AGI offices and sat down with Josh Poley and T.S. Kelso. We shot a handful of videos... Read more

16 Dec 2019

41mins

Ranked #12

Podcast cover

T+128: NASA Shuffles CLPS, Partners on Blue Moon and Starship

T+128: NASA Shuffles CLPS, Partners on Blue Moon and Starship

NASA terminated OrbitBeyond’s CLPS task order, opened CLPS up to more providers, and announced exciting partnerships wit... Read more

2 Aug 2019

19mins

Ranked #13

Podcast cover

T+143: Starliner, 2020 US Space Budget

T+143: Starliner, 2020 US Space Budget

Starliner’s flight test did not go as planned, and the US 2020 budget was passed, which creates Space Force and has big ... Read more

23 Dec 2019

24mins

Ranked #14

Podcast cover

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

Orbital ATK shared some more details about their next-generation launch vehicle, SpaceX is working out their certificati... Read more

1 Jun 2016

15mins

Ranked #15

Podcast cover

T+4: Boeing’s CST-100, SpaceX’s Dragon 2, and a Scorched Falcon 9

T+4: Boeing’s CST-100, SpaceX’s Dragon 2, and a Scorched Falcon 9

Boeing announced a 6 month delay in the schedule for their CST-100 crew vehicle. SpaceX’s Dragon 2 is in the lead to be ... Read more

18 May 2016

13mins

Ranked #16

Podcast cover

T+129: Steve Altemus and Dr. Tim Crain, Intuitive Machines

T+129: Steve Altemus and Dr. Tim Crain, Intuitive Machines

Steve Altemus, President & CEO, and Dr. Tim Crain, VP of Research & Development, from Intuitive Machines join me... Read more

5 Aug 2019

48mins

Ranked #17

Podcast cover

T+144: 2019 Impacts

T+144: 2019 Impacts

A look back at 2019 through the lens of “Who actually did something that matters this year?”This episode of Main Engine ... Read more

31 Dec 2019

20mins

Ranked #18

Podcast cover

T+5: Space Stations Around the Moon and Mars, ExoMars 2016, and China’s Momentum in Space

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, and Mars by 2028. ExoMars... Read more

25 May 2016

16mins

Ranked #19

Podcast cover

T+139: RemoveDEBRIS with Richard Duke

T+139: RemoveDEBRIS with Richard Duke

Richard Duke from the Surrey Space Center joins me to talk about their RemoveDEBRIS mission, which launched last year an... Read more

21 Nov 2019

38mins

Ranked #20

Podcast cover

T+137: Artemis Politics, United Lander Alliance

T+137: Artemis Politics, United Lander Alliance

Artemis and international politics were on display on the first day of IAC 2019, followed by strange-yet-politically-min... Read more

28 Oct 2019

17mins

“Podium: AI tools for podcasters. Generate show notes, transcripts, highlight clips, and more with AI. Try it today at https://podium.page”