Best Lunar Colonization Podcasts (2025)

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T+312: Starship Flight 11, Space Policy, and Priorities (with Miles O’Brien) 44:18

Play Pause

7d ago44:18

44:18

Miles O’Brien, science correspondent for PBS News and CNN space analyst, joins me to talk about Starship Flight 11, the current space policy landscape including the ongoing government shutdown, the possible return of Jared Isaacman, and what to do about all the competing budget priorities at NASA. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to y…

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T+311: Phil McAlister on Commercial LEO and NASA’s Human Spaceflight Budget 42:37

14d ago42:37

42:37

Phil McAlister, former Director of NASA’s Commercial Space Division, joins me to talk about the Commercial LEO Destinations program, the budgetary issues facing NASA and its human spaceflight programs, and to share his perspective on the last (and next) few years in these areas. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 32 executive …

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Stop Chasing Ice: Why the First Moon Base Shouldn’t Be a Mine (with Pascal Lee) 1:25:26

17d ago1:25:26

1:25:26

Dr. Pascal Lee, planetary scientist, Arctic field explorer, and professor at the KSU (Kepler Space University) He’s spent his life between two extremes, the frozen frontiers of the Arctic and the conceptual edges of space exploration. Few people connect fieldwork, engineering, and philosophy like Pascal does. What We Talk About This episode begins …

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T+310: NASA’s “Prove It” Era 19:48

28d ago19:48

19:48

NASA selected Blue Origin to (maybe) deliver the once-cancelled VIPER rover, modified Sierra Space’s ISS resupply contract which likely puts the nail in the coffin of Dream Chaser, and released the draft of its new commercial space station strategy. All different stories with one message: prove it. But maybe not in a good way. This episode of Main …

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The Ocean Isn’t Flat: ESA’s gravity maps, climate facts, and Earth’s hidden shape 58:33

1M ago58:33

58:33

Guest: Robert Meisner, Earth Observation, ESA, ESRIN The Cosmic Scoop: In this eye-opening episode, Markus travels to ESRIN, ESA’s Earth Observation hub in Frascati near Rome, to sit down with Robert Meisner – a man who has spent nearly 40 years watching our planet from above. Together they dive into the hidden landscapes of the ocean surface, the …

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T+309: EchoStar’s Spectrum Sale, Starlink’s Financials (with Caleb Henry, Director of Research at Quilty Space) 43:01

1M ago43:01

43:01

Caleb Henry, Director of Research at Quilty Space, joins me to talk about EchoStar’s spectrum sales and constellation cancellation, SpaceX’s spectrum purchase, and the financials of Starlink. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 34 executive producers—Bob, Heiko, Creative Taxi, Josh from Impulse, Russell, Donald, Will and Lars f…

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Who Needs Legs in Space? The Incredible Journey of John McFall 1:03:39

2M ago1:03:39

1:03:39

John McFall — surgeon, Paralympic medalist, father of three, and ESA parastronaut selectee — joins Markus to explore how human spaceflight changes when we design for ability, not assumptions. From winter survival in the Pyrenees to EVA realities and cosmic radiation, John shares what it takes to open space to everyone. Cosmic Timeline [00:00:00] Sq…

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Earth's Lost Rings: A 466-Million-Year-Old Warning 58:37

2M ago58:37

58:37

Guest: Dr. Andy Tomkins – Geologist, Professor at Monash University, and lead author of the groundbreaking study proposing that Earth once had a Saturn-like ring system. The Cosmic Scoop: What if Earth once had rings like Saturn? Dr. Andy Tomkins joins Markus to unravel the evidence that, 466 million years ago, a colossal asteroid breakup may have …

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T+308: Chatting with Casey Handmer 36:09

2M ago36:09

36:09

Casey Handmer, Founder of Terraform Industries, joins me to talk about the state of NASA in 2025, talent acquisition and retention, productivity, and so much more. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 34 executive producers—Kris, Joakim (Jo-Kim), Creative Taxi, Heiko, Joel, Frank, Josh from Impulse, The Astrogators at SEE, David…

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T+307: Executive Order on Regulatory Reform (with Tom Marotta) 30:47

2M ago30:47

30:47

Tom Marotta of The Spaceport Company joins me to talk about the executive order this week focused on commercial space regulatory reform, what problems it seeks to solve, his experience on both sides of those issues, and how we should understand the positioning of the order. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 34 executive produ…

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Solar Lets You Visit. Nuclear Lets You Stay. A delicate conversation. 1:04:34

2M ago1:04:34

1:04:34

Guest: Dr. Bhavya Lal – Former NASA Chief Technologist, MIT-trained nuclear engineer, and architect of U.S. space nuclear policy. The Cosmic Scoop: Nuclear power’s bad Earthly reputation hides its potential as a lifeline beyond our planet. Space is already radioactive—and if we want to stay and build on the Moon, Mars, or Europa, nuclear offers “po…

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T+306: Lunar Outpost (with Michael Moreno, VP of Strategy) 41:56

3M ago41:56

41:56

Michael Moreno, VP of Strategy at Lunar Outpost, joins me to talk about what they’ve been up to at the company, the NASA Lunar Terrain Vehicle Services contract, the idea of services as a business on the Moon, and more. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 35 executive producers—Lee, Russell, Fred, The Astrogators at SEE, David,…

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Planet Earth, Digitized: Can ESA’s Virtual Twin Save Us? 47:17

3M ago47:17

47:17

This week, Simonetta Cheli, Director of Earth Observation Programs at the European Space Agency (ESA), joins Markus to dive into one of the most ambitious and groundbreaking projects of our time: building a digital twin of our planet. Through Destination Earth (DestinE), ESA is creating a dynamic, real-time model of Earth—a tool designed to simulat…

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Former Space Agency Head: The Real Reason We Aren't on the Moon (It's Not Technology) 1:14:35

4M ago1:14:35

1:14:35

Giorgio Saccoccia – former President of the Italian Space Agency (ASI), propulsion engineer, and lifelong “space fan.” From lunar outposts and electric thrusters to space-as-diplomacy, Saccoccia brings four decades of insight into turning quick “flags-and-footprints” missions into a permanent human presence beyond Earth. Key Moments ⏱ Time Topic | …

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T+305: The Starship 36 Explosion, and ESA Policy (with Adrian Beil, NASASpaceflight) 1:06:14

4M ago1:06:14

1:06:14

A special simulcast of this week’s Off-Nominal—the other show I do, if you somehow haven’t heard of it!—because it’s exactly the topic list with exactly the guest I had up next on my list. I’m joined by Adrian Beil of NASASpaceflight to talk about the recent mayhem at Starbase, and to kick around European space policy topics in the run up to the ES…

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Forget Mars: Blue Origin Wants Earth as a National Park! 52:04

4M ago52:04

52:04

Heather Nelson, Director of the Club for the Future at Blue Origin, is at the forefront of inspiring the next generation to dream boldly about humanity’s role as an interplanetary species. In this expansive conversation, Heather provides a rare peek behind the curtain of Blue Origin’s ambitious plans and philosophical vision for the future of human…

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T+304: The Musk/Trump Breakup, Jared Isaacman’s Withdrawn Nomination, and Starship Flight 9 (with Lori Garver) 49:36

5M ago49:36

49:36

Lori Garver, former NASA Deputy Administrator, joins me to talk about the chaos of the last week: the withdraw of Jared Isaacman’s nomination for NASA Administrator, Starship Flight 9, and of course, the wild public breakup of Elon Musk and President Trump. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 33 executive producers—David, Donal…

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This Architect Is Redesigning Humanity for Life in Space 1:02:13

5M ago1:02:13

1:02:13

🚀 The Cosmic Scoop In this expansive and deeply human conversation, Phnam Bagley challenges everything we think we know about architecture. From floating tables to engineered space hearts, she reimagines what it means to design for a future where gravity is optional and emotion is essential. Together, we explore the untold questions of life in spac…

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Hearing a Universe: How a Blind Scientist Uncovers Hidden Patterns in Astronomical Data 1:02:55

5M ago1:02:55

1:02:55

Guest: Wanda Diaz Merced This very special episode of the Space Café Podcast introduces Wanda Diaz Merced, a visionary scientist who, after losing her sight in her twenties, pioneered a groundbreaking new method of exploring space through sound—sonification. Wanda shares her remarkable story and insights, showing us that blindness does not limit on…

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T+303: The Trump 2024 Transition (with Mark Albrecht) 53:42

6M ago53:42

53:42

Mark Albrecht joins me to talk about his time on the Trump 2024 Transition Team, the thinking behind some of the policy decisions we’re starting to see in the space and national security spheres, and more. This episode of Main Engine Cut Off is brought to you by 33 executive producers—Joonas, The Astrogators at SEE, Will and Lars from Agile, Theo a…

Lunar Colonization Podcasts

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Space Café Podcast - Navigating Our Interplanetary Ambitions

Markus Mooslechner

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Main Engine Cut Off

Anthony Colangelo

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T+312: Starship Flight 11, Space Policy, and Priorities (with Miles O’Brien) 44:18

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T+311: Phil McAlister on Commercial LEO and NASA’s Human Spaceflight Budget 42:37

1
Stop Chasing Ice: Why the First Moon Base Shouldn’t Be a Mine (with Pascal Lee) 1:25:26

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T+310: NASA’s “Prove It” Era 19:48

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The Ocean Isn’t Flat: ESA’s gravity maps, climate facts, and Earth’s hidden shape 58:33

1
T+309: EchoStar’s Spectrum Sale, Starlink’s Financials (with Caleb Henry, Director of Research at Quilty Space) 43:01

1
Who Needs Legs in Space? The Incredible Journey of John McFall 1:03:39

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Earth's Lost Rings: A 466-Million-Year-Old Warning 58:37

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T+308: Chatting with Casey Handmer 36:09

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T+307: Executive Order on Regulatory Reform (with Tom Marotta) 30:47

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Solar Lets You Visit. Nuclear Lets You Stay. A delicate conversation. 1:04:34

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T+306: Lunar Outpost (with Michael Moreno, VP of Strategy) 41:56

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Planet Earth, Digitized: Can ESA’s Virtual Twin Save Us? 47:17

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Former Space Agency Head: The Real Reason We Aren't on the Moon (It's Not Technology) 1:14:35

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T+305: The Starship 36 Explosion, and ESA Policy (with Adrian Beil, NASASpaceflight) 1:06:14

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Forget Mars: Blue Origin Wants Earth as a National Park! 52:04

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T+304: The Musk/Trump Breakup, Jared Isaacman’s Withdrawn Nomination, and Starship Flight 9 (with Lori Garver) 49:36

1
This Architect Is Redesigning Humanity for Life in Space 1:02:13

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Hearing a Universe: How a Blind Scientist Uncovers Hidden Patterns in Astronomical Data 1:02:55

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T+303: The Trump 2024 Transition (with Mark Albrecht) 53:42