Miscellaneous
I’m back after a few wonderful weeks offline with my newly-arrived son, Will! I figured I’d jump back in with a rundown of the important and notable bits of news that happened while I was gone.This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 38 executive producers—Brandon, Matthew, Simon, Lauren, Melissa, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, Nadim, Donald, Lee, Chris, Warren, Bob, Russell, John, Moritz, Joel, Jan, Grant, David, Joonas, Robb, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Frank, Julian and Lars from Agile Space, Tommy, Adam, and seven anonymous—and 402 other supporters.TopicsMy son has arrived! Signing off for a few weeks. - Main Engine Cut OffMain Engine Cut Off on Twitter: “It’s Space Shirt Friday over in the @offnom Discord and I’m guessing @JimBridenstine will appreciate Will’s first participation in it.”Discovery of noxious gas on Venus could be a sign of life - The VergeWhat the future of Venus exploration could look like following major discovery - The VergeVenus is One Stop in Our Search for Life - Administrator Jim BridenstineRocket Lab Launches First In-house Designed & Built Photon Satellite | Rocket LabNASA signs agreement with Italy to cooperate on Artemis - SpaceNewsNASA Publishes Artemis Plan to Land First Woman, Next Man on Moon | NASABridenstine Optimistic About Full HLS Funding - SpacePolicyOnline.comSenate Hearing Offers No Hints on Prospect for Artemis Funding - SpacePolicyOnline.comAnother Senate Hearing, But Still No Clue on Likely Fate of Artemis Funding - SpacePolicyOnline.comSpace Resources are the Key to Safe and Sustainable Lunar Exploration - Administrator Jim BridenstinePurchase of Lunar Regolith and/or Rock Materials from Contractor - beta.SAM.govNASA Moon Rocket Stage Passes Simulated Countdown Test | NASAJim Bridenstine on Twitter: “More progress on @NASA_SLS Green Run Hot Fire! @NASA_Stennis teams completed the sixth test of the Green Run test series – the simulated countdown – on Sunday, validating the stage for the sequence of events leading up to an Artemis launch.”OneWeb secures additional financing as bankruptcy restructuring continues - SpaceNewsBankruptcy court approves OneWeb sale - SpaceNewsSpaceX wins launch contract for NASA space science mission - SpaceNewsAfter second hop, SpaceX preps for next phase of Starship testing - Spaceflight NowStarship SN8 prepares for test series - First sighting of Super Heavy - NASASpaceFlight.comSuper Heavy waiting in the wings amid Starship testing - NASASpaceFlight.comSpaceX on Twitter: “Completed a full duration test fire of the Raptor Vacuum engine at SpaceX’s rocket development facility in McGregor, Texas”SpaceX launches the first south-bound rocket from Florida in decades - The VergeEpisode T+167: Phillip Hargrove, NASA Launch Services Program - Main Engine Cut OffSpaceX to Fly to Polar Orbit from Florida - Main Engine Cut OffSoftware fix could position Astra for another launch attempt by end of year - Spaceflight NowVideo of Astra Flight 3 from Jennifer CultonRichard Branson’s Virgin Orbit is Seeking Investors - Parabolic ArcExoTerra to develop upper stage for Virgin Orbit LauncherOne - SpaceNewsThe ShowLike the show? Support the show!Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to anthony@mainenginecutoff.comFollow @WeHaveMECOListen to MECO HeadlinesJoin the Off-Nominal DiscordSubscribe on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn or elsewhereSubscribe to the Main Engine Cut Off NewsletterBuy shirts and Rocket Socks from the Main Engine Cut Off ShopMusic by Max Justus