Episodes 335
Avg. Duration 33m
Activity Highly Active
Apple Rating 4.9 (288)
Since Apr 2016
Latest Episode Jun 2026

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Publishing Details

Schedule
Every 2 Weeks
Format
Episodic
Consistency
34%
Hosting
feeds.simplecast.com

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About This Podcast

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

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Recent Episodes

T+334: SpaceX the Outlier, and Organization Leadership (with Matt Gjertsen)

Jun 09, 2026 43m

I often talk about SpaceX being an extreme outlier in the industry and how many organizations have tried to replicate their approach, but very few (if any) have been successful. Matt Gjertsen of…

T+333: New Glenn Explodes on LC-36, Starship Flight 12, and NASA Moon Base Updates

May 29, 2026 31m

Blue Origin’s New Glenn blew up on LC-36 last night during a static fire test, Starship flew its 12th flight, and NASA had a series of updates on its Moon Base program, including LTV awards, launch…

T+332: Quantum Space (with Jim Bridenstine, CEO)

May 26, 2026 37m

Former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine has joined Quantum Space as CEO. We talk about what the company is working on, the Ranger spacecraft, how they fit into the industry, where he sees their…

T+331: Checking in on K2 (with Neel Kunjur, Co-Founder and CTO)

May 19, 2026 44m

Neel 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…

T+330: 10 Years of MECO

Apr 24, 2026 32m

The 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…

T+329: Katalyst Space and the Mission to Boost Swift (with Ghonhee Lee, Founder and CEO)

Apr 23, 2026 44m

Ghonhee 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…

T+328: Pam Melroy, Former NASA Deputy Administrator and Space Shuttle Commander

Apr 09, 2026 52m

Pam 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…

T+327: Artemis II, the Lunar Flyby Edition (with Paul Fjeld)

Apr 07, 2026 1h 22m

Artemis 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…

T+326: Artemis II Underway

Apr 02, 2026 13m

Artemis 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,…

T+325: Ignition

Mar 31, 2026 35m

There 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…

T+324: Impulse Space (with Tom Mueller, Founder and CEO)

Mar 17, 2026 40m

Tom 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…

T+323: The Artemis Roadmap Shakeup

Feb 27, 2026 30m

NASA 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…

T+322: SpaceX Acquires xAI as it Prepares for IPO, Blue Origin Cancels New Shepard, and Artemis II Delayed (with Loren Grush)

Feb 06, 2026 40m

Loren 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…

T+321: Artemis II, New Glenn’s First Reflight, Blue Origin’s TeraWave, and Tory Bruno’s Job Switch

Jan 23, 2026 31m

Artemis II is on the pad, and I can’t stop thinking about it. So I guess listen to me think in the open? Also, a ton of Blue Origin news—the next flight of New Glenn will feature a flown booster,…

T+320: NASA’s FY2026 Budget, the Isaacman Era, and the Eve of Artemis II (with Casey Dreier)

Jan 22, 2026 32m

Casey Dreier of The Planetary Society joins me to talk about the NASA FY2026 budget, the early days of the Administrator Isaacman era, and how we feel going into Artemis II.This episode of Main…

T+319: Headlines, December 22, 2025

Dec 23, 2025 49m

A holiday special! Enjoy this week’s episode of Headlines free. It’s an absolute monster episode—way longer than usual Headlines episodes, I promise—but it’s a great example of what you get when you…

T+318: General Chance Saltzman, Chief of Space Operations, United States Space Force

Dec 17, 2025 49m

Yesterday, I had the chance to visit the Pentagon and sit down with General Chance Saltzman, Chief of Space Operations—the head of the United States Space Force. We talk about the service 6 years…

T+317: Isaacman Renomination Hearing, Starliner Flights Cut, Starship at SLC-37, Zhuque-3 Almost Sticks the Landing, and More (with Stephen Clark)

Dec 08, 2025 59m

Stephen Clark of Ars Technica joins me to talk about a ton of stories in the news—Jared Isaacman was back in front of Congress, a few Starliner flights have been cut from the ISS manifest, Starship…

T+316: New Glenn’s Second Launch, First Landing, and Upgrade Roadmap

Nov 26, 2025 30m

Blue Origin is fresh off an incredible few weeks—a successful second launch and first landing of New Glenn, followed by an exciting unveil of upgrades to the vehicle, including an enormous new…

T+315: Autonomy in Space (with Simone D’Amico, DJ Bush, and Al Tadros)

Nov 11, 2025 1h 3m

Simone D’Amico of Stanford and EraDrive, DJ Bush of NVIDIA, and Al Tadros of Redwire join me to talk about autonomy in space, to get into the specific details of what they’re working on and how it…

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Main Engine Cut Off has published 335 episodes since April 2016, covering topics in Natural Sciences, Science.

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