Starship SN8 took flight last week on a mostly-successful mission to test its final descent phase. I share some thoughts on the test, the state of Starship development, and what that all means for the near future of Starship.

This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 36 executive producers—Brandon, Matthew, Simon, Lauren, Melissa, Kris, Pat, Matt, Jorge, Ryan, 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, and seven anonymous—and 438 other supporters.

Topics

• On the Spectacular Flight of Starship SN8 and the Future of Starship Development - Main Engine Cut Off
• Starship | SN8 | High-Altitude Flight Test - YouTube
• SpaceX on Twitter: “Starship landing flip maneuver”
• September 2019 Starship Update - YouTube
• U.S. Transportation Command to study use of SpaceX rockets to move cargo around the world - SpaceNews
• Episode T+149: Let’s Talk About Starship with Tim Dodd, the Everyday Astronaut - Main Engine Cut Off
• Starship SN5 Flew, So Let’s Check In on Some Predictions - Main Engine Cut Off
• Senate bill offers NASA only a fraction of requested lunar lander funding - SpaceNews

The Show

• Like the show? Support the show!
• Email your thoughts, comments, and questions to anthony@mainenginecutoff.com
• Follow @WeHaveMECO
• Listen to MECO Headlines
• Join the Off-Nominal Discord
• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn or elsewhere
• Subscribe to the Main Engine Cut Off Newsletter
• Buy shirts and Rocket Socks from the Main Engine Cut Off Shop
• Music by Max Justus