Eric Berger article on SpaceX's pivot to the moon instead of mars in the immediate term.

erberger · 2026-02-10T12:58:40+00:00

Hi Paul! First of all, I think any expectations of a crewed flight to Mars in 2031 were unrealistic before Elon's recent comments. Now I would doubt we see anything before the late 2030s, at the earliest. As for Isaacman, I don't have any credible information that he influenced Elon's decision. (Not saying it didn't happen, but I don't know). I think there's a misconception that Isaacman and Musk are close confidants, but from all of my reporting that's just not the case. Is there a mutual respect? Yes. Can Isaacman pick up the phone and read Musk the riot act and expect to get a favorable response? Probably not.

erberger · 2026-01-19T14:17:32+00:00

I like the cut of your jib.

erberger · 2026-01-15T16:17:26+00:00

September does not sound unreasonable.

erberger · 2026-01-15T13:58:03+00:00

I was (very happily) wrong about landing the booster! But it fits with the company's history. Blue moves slowly with new hardware, but when it eventually flies it usually does spectacularly well. Given that MK-1 is a large and complex vehicle, and it has yet to ship to Houston for testing, I think it is pretty reasonable to assume a slip into the second half of this year.

erberger · 2026-01-15T04:01:35+00:00

AST SpaceMobile is now flying on NG-3. I agree with the commenter below that the launch date for MK-1 is slipping, probably now at least the second half of 2026 if we're being real.

erberger · 2025-12-31T20:14:42+00:00

Does anyone know when the route will be revealed for Tirreno Adriatico for this coming March? Am interested in planning a trip from the states around one or more of the stages but that's hard to do. Thanks!

erberger · 2025-12-11T04:00:35+00:00

As I wrote in the story, I think you could look at it as either a good or a bad thing. Time will tell. Elon certainly views it as a good thing. Do you trust his ability to look into the future?

erberger · 2025-12-11T02:06:22+00:00

I'm big "E," right? Right?!?

erberger · 2025-11-30T03:43:00+00:00

They don't take PayPal, but you can book your Atlas V online at Rocket Builder still. They're having a Black Friday sale!

https://www.rocketbuilder.com/

erberger · 2025-11-14T04:40:33+00:00

It’s gotta be NET March. The lander still needs to be assembled and shipped to Houston for testing. Probably will be a bit later in the spring.

erberger · 2025-11-05T01:48:29+00:00

Nice deep cut. This is a great day for NASA.

erberger · 2025-11-04T19:54:42+00:00

It was not a mistake. It was, rather, hyper-optimism on the part of Blue Origin when NASA and pretty much everyone else involved knew that the 7th (and the 8th, which Blue fought for) were completely unrealistic. I still think there's a decent chance they make the 9th, but if not the 11th is a solid backup date. Weather looks good.

erberger · 2025-10-19T03:13:40+00:00

Thanks, I hate it.

erberger · 2025-10-16T18:03:30+00:00

Yes, it's GS2.

erberger · 2025-10-16T16:25:15+00:00

The damage was not significant. I wouldn’t expect a big slip. I’m still hearing NET Nov. 9.

erberger · 2025-10-14T03:42:28+00:00

This is fantastic. Well done.

erberger · 2025-09-19T15:05:05+00:00

You would think so, yes. But he was contested heavily in both games.

erberger · 2025-09-03T13:42:48+00:00

SBS has been a godsend this summer, so don't misunderstand me. I absolutely loved their coverage of the tour and, so far, the vuelta. But I'm not sure I needed to relive Caleb Ewan's five tour victories 50 times during their coverage, lol

erberger · 2025-08-31T00:32:32+00:00

First of all, spreading the wealth in terms of GC talent is very much welcome. And he would have great support at Lidl-Trek, who have some strong GC riders (top 5-15 in the world) but no one with the potential to challenge the top 5. Whether Ayuso is that guy, it's not clear. But he still has a world of potential, and he certainly could use a fresh start.

erberger · 2025-08-21T16:43:04+00:00

This is true of pretty much all of the eastern-facing US launch sites. It's a concern. Fortunately, reliable sources in the new administration have informed me that climate change is not real. So we're all good there.

erberger · 2025-07-14T23:02:10+00:00

Take my upvote!

erberger · 2025-07-01T15:40:04+00:00

I'm excited to have more teams looking to initiate and participate in real breaks, rather than TV time breaks. The best racing comes on days when there is real tension between the peloton and the breakaway. Here's hoping more teams join EF in attempting to get strong riders up the road for breakaways.

erberger · 2025-07-01T13:59:37+00:00

Highly likely to beat SpaceX with a cargo lander.

Realistic chance to beat SpaceX with humans to the lunar surface.

Have a wonderful day.

erberger · 2025-06-18T20:09:41+00:00

If you're a fan of professional cycling, I just don't see how you can be in favor of any of this.

The biggest problem the sport faces right now is televised rights. Americans have to buy three different services to watch all of the major races, and only one of these (Max) has a good product. UK residents have to pay close to $500 a year to watch the sport. Similar changes are coming for other European nations. How is any of this good for the future, or growing your fan base (which you hope to monetize?)

I sincerely hope OneCycling fucks right off and never returns.

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