NASA Selects 12 Payloads for Upcoming Commercial Lunar Payload Services Flights
It’s a long list, and I don’t see any specific flight assignments yet, but there are a few payloads of note in here.
NASA Awards IXPE Launch to SpaceX for $50.3 Million
Boy, is that inexpensive. IXPE is just a few hundred kilograms and is going to a 0° inclination orbit, so Falcon 9 could fit a bit more payload aboard, but not much. I’m going to guess that it will fly solo, and take the title away from FORMOSAT 5 for lightest payload flown by Falcon 9.
Thanks to June Patrons
Very special thanks to the 289 of you out there supporting Main Engine Cut Off on Patreon for the month of June. MECO is entirely listener- and reader-supported, so your support keeps this blog and podcast going, growing, and improving, and most importantly, it keeps it independent.
Episode 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 Long March 5 delay, and what the future of Chinese launch may look like.
Apollo, GAMBIT, and UPWARD
If you’re into quirky space history, Dwayne Day wrote an incredible article for The Space Review this week on a NASA/NRO collaboration that never saw the light of day, nor was known about until now.
Episode 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 Force launch contracting drama, and a new company building small geostationary satellites has emerged.
The Search for the Small GEO Sweet Spot
Of note to me is that Firefly’s Alpha with its new Orbital Transfer Vehicle can carry a single small-end Saturn bus or just about two Astranis satellites all the way to geostationary orbit on its own.
Episode 20 - People Doin’ It, Right?
Chris Gebhardt of NASASpaceflight joins Jake and Anthony to talk about space media in modern pop culture, the way its made and received, and what stands the test of time. Upcoming meetup! Hang out with Jake and other fellow Anomalies in Kent, WA on June 29! Details at events.offnominal.space.
Episode 20 - People Doin’ It, Right?
Chris Gebhardt of NASASpaceflight joins Jake and Anthony to talk about space media in modern pop culture, the way its made and received, and what stands the test of time. Upcoming meetup! Hang out with Jake and other fellow Anomalies in Kent, WA on June 29! Details at events.offnominal.space.
Swipe and Tap Your Way to Faster In-person Sales
You asked for a faster way to collect card details at events and we heard you. Thanks to our friends at Stripe, there’s a new card reader that works directly with Big Cartel for iOS.
Episode T+123: The Noosphere of Influence
NASA made a series of announcements about their ISS commercialization effort and the first Commercial Lunar Payload Services missions, and Firefly unveiled their Orbital Transfer Vehicle. And there’s a really interesting connection between all three stories.
Thanks to May Patrons
Very special thanks to the 285 of you out there supporting Main Engine Cut Off on Patreon for the month of May. MECO is entirely listener- and reader-supported, so your support keeps this blog and podcast going, growing, and improving, and most importantly, it keeps it independent.
Episode T+122: National Security SpaceX Lawsuit
NSSL, LSA, OMG! Last week, SpaceX filed a lawsuit against the US Air Force over the Launch Service Agreement development contracts. We’re mere months away from bids being due for the National Security Space Launch Phase 2 launch contracts, so I figured now would be a good time to take a step back to explain what these programs are, why they matter, and why SpaceX is filing this lawsuit at this moment in time.
Air Force Revising Promotion System, Opening Pathways for Space Officers
Gee, I wonder what it is that is making them get around to this in 2019, rather than decades ago.
Episode 19 - Space Traffic Cones
Jake and Anthony try and figure out what’s going on with all this Artemis talk and where we’re headed.
Episode 19 - Space Traffic Cones
Jake and Anthony try and figure out what’s going on with all this Artemis talk and where we’re headed.
Episode T+121: Artemis, Blue Moon, Starship, and Politics
NASA and the White House released a summary of the FY2020 budget amendment this week, alongside the new name: Project Artemis. I talk through some political fallout, what the future may hold, and the chaos elements that are Blue Moon and Starship.
Artemis
The Moon 2024 initiative finally has a name, and it kicks ass—Artemis. However, there seems to be some mass cognitive dissonance surrounding all this that I can’t get my head around.
Virgin Orbit Has “One Thing Left to Button Down” (and It’s Not Great)
I’ve heard some talk of what Virgin Orbit is working through, and from the sounds of it, it’s bad. Nearing potentially-losing-an-important-mission bad.
Episode T+120: Dr. Mike Baine, Axiom Space
Dr. Mike Baine, Chief Engineer of Axiom Space, joins us to talk through Axiom’s plans for commercial low Earth orbit space stations.