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 received environmental approval to proceed at SLC-37, Zhuque-3 almost stuck its first landing attempt, the Soyuz launch pad fell apart at Baikonur, and the Space Force has a new mission naming scheme.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 32 executive producers—Matt, Fred, Kris, Natasha Tsakos, Josh from Impulse, Better Every Day Studios, Joakim, Joel, Ryan, The Astrogators at SEE, Tim Dodd (the Everyday Astronaut!), Heiko, Jan, Theo and Violet, Donald, Pat, Will and Lars from Agile, Lee, Russell, Joonas, Warren, Steve, Frank, Stealth Julian, David, and four anonymous—and hundreds of supporters.

Topics

Author: Stephen Clark - Ars Technica
NASA nominee appears before Congress, defends plans to revamp space agency - Ars Technica
Congress warned that NASA’s current plan for Artemis “cannot work” - Ars Technica
NASA seeks a “warm backup” option as key decision on lunar rover nears - Ars Technica
It’s official: Boeing’s next flight of Starliner will be allowed to carry cargo only - Ars Technica
A spectacular explosion shows China is close to obtaining reusable rockets - Ars Technica
Before a Soyuz launch Thursday someone forgot to secure a 20-ton service platform - Ars Technica
Rivals object to SpaceX’s Starship plans in Florida—who’s interfering with whom? - Ars Technica
SpaceX on X: “We’ve received approval to develop Space Launch Complex-37 for Starship operations at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Construction has started. With three launch pads in Florida, Starship will be ready to support America’s national security and Artemis goals as the world’s…”
Attack, defend, pursue—the Space Force’s new naming scheme foretells new era - Ars Technica

The Show

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