Main Engine Cut Off

There’s an interesting storyline developing on the NASA exploration front: an RFI regarding the future of Orion (and one including SLS, too!) show that NASA may be open to shaking up their entire exploration architecture, just as SpaceX shipped the ITS tank out to sea for pressure testing.

Last week, Eric Berger of Ars Technica had an exclusive story about the Orion-related RFI, with some excellent (anonymous) sources. He mentioned that we may see a similar RFI for SLS in the coming days. And then yesterday, we got just that. I recommend reading his article following up on the release of the second RFI for a look at the full picture.

My focus on the podcast this week was what these developments may point to for the future of Orion, SLS, and NASA exploration systems. I took some time to think through how the political environment around SLS and Orion is shifting, and how commercially-sourced alternatives may be gaining the needed support to replace the programs of record.

The bottom line is that in an era with well-functioning private spaceflight companies, whose prowess is on display in the commercial cargo and crew programs (and elsewhere), big budget government programs lose their luster. We’re finding other ways to involve contractors that are more efficient than cost-plus contracts with work owned by NASA. The commercial cargo and crew programs blazed this trail, the deep space habitat initiative is following in their footsteps, and now it looks like the exploration program is next.

Even amongst the murkiness in the US government right now—Congress is putting off 2017 appropriations until next year, and we still don’t know much about the coming NASA transition—I’m really encouraged by what I’m seeing with the shift in thinking around SLS and Orion.

SpaceX: Internet Constellation, Tank Tests

After a quiet few months, SpaceX had quite an eventful week. They filed an FCC application for their 4,400+ satellite internet constellation, tested the ITS composite tank at sea, and had some type of explosion down in McGregor as part of their ongoing investigation.

The internet constellation is pretty important to the future of SpaceX and their Mars plans. It could be a pretty gigantic source of revenue for them, and if so, would be a primary source of funding for ITS and related Mars efforts. As far as the explosion goes, let’s hope it points to them reproducing the issue reliably as part of the investigation. If so, they can implement a testable fix and have the investigation closed out, signed off, and get back to flying.

The ITS tank test is by far the most interesting thing to me, though. On Twitter, they said they hit both of their pressure targets and are now heading towards full cryogenic testing of the tank. Hopefully we’ll continue to see more photos and videos of the testing as it progresses.

Photos of the preparations for testing were posted on the SpaceX subreddit by /u/Death_Cog_Unit, with the following comment:

That Boeing work was probably the testing they were doing there for new composite wings as part of the 777X. The ITS development tank was built by Janicki Industries in Anacortes. There are some more interesting comments by /u/Death_Cog_Unit worth reading in the same thread.

Thank you!

Thanks for reading the fifth issue of Main Engine Cut Off Weekly. Each week, I bring you what I find interesting and important in spaceflight, and you can get it however you like best—blog, podcast, or this here column. If you like what I’m doing, I’d really appreciate your support. Head over to Patreon and become a patron for as little as $1 per month. Everything I do is supported entirely by readers and listeners like you, and every little bit of support helps. Big thanks to those of you out there supporting!

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Thanks for reading, and I’ll talk to you next week.

— Anthony