Main Engine Cut Off

Jake and I discuss the few days we spent together in Florida last week to see Falcon Heavy launch, tell a few stories, and work through our feelings on Starman.

Very special thanks to the 144 of you out there supporting Main Engine Cut Off on Patreon for the month of January. Your support keeps this blog and podcast going, and most importantly, it keeps it independent.

This requirement grew out of concerns about SpaceX and how frequently they update the design of Falcon 9. And from where NASA stands, it’s a totally valid concern and requirement. The problem is that it has very blatantly only ever been applied to SpaceX.

Really interesting technical note on how Orbital ATK’s Mission Extension Vehicles stack with other satellites in an article by Caleb Henry of SpaceNews.

In thinking through who may launch to high-inclination orbits from the Cape, I totally forgot about DARPA’s XS-1 that will be based out of Cape Canaveral. I would be surprised if there weren’t plans to launch XS-1 from Vandenberg, but as of yet, we haven’t heard anything. Maybe the Department of Defense had XS-1 in mind when developing a polar corridor from Cape Canaveral?

A fantastic, must-read post with photos, maps, and analysis of the ZUMA situation. Dr. Langbroek is just about the only person I’ll be following with regards to ZUMA.

Best episode of Off-Nominal yet: Jake and I talk New Frontiers and drink extraordinarily tasty beer that has been to space. Massive thanks to Ninkasi Brewing Company for fueling this episode!

Fascinating piece by Eric Hand, for Science.

Plans could change, obviously, but the last bit there seems to confirm that Orbital ATK is only going to build this launch vehicle if they are awarded funding from the Air Force in the upcoming Launch Services Agreements.

Someone over at Intelsat has been doing a lot of math, and it looks like Orbital ATK was serious—the business case closes.