Failure To Launch

Failure To Launch Podcast

This is a podcast about all the mistakes, failures, and explosions that made space exploration possible.

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20 episodes
Updated Wednesday
Explicit

Episodes20

Newest first

Soyuz-23: Ice Fishing for Cosmonauts (w. Matt Lowne)
A secret military space station, a rookie crew, a flaky autopilot, insufficient batteries, a freak winter storm, and a frozen lake. We’re joined by space and KSP youtuber Matt Lowne to talk about Soyuz-23, the only water touchdown of a Soviet spacecraft and how it very nearly killed its entire crew. Check out Matt’s videos here! Find our merch store here Support FTL on Patreon to unlock bonus content and join our Discord community SOURCES: - Soyuz: A Universal Spacecraft, Rex Hall - Salyut-5: The Last Military Lab, Anatoly Zak - https://www.astronomy.com/space-exploration/soyuz-23-how-two-cosmonauts-almost-died-after-landing-back-on-earth/ FTL theme song by DJ Danarchy
Wednesday · 1 hr 8 min
*PREVIEW* Tatsumaki Class (w. Tex Talks Battletech)
This is a preview of a bonus episode. To hear the rest of the episode and unlock more bonus content, support Failure To Launch on Patreon at any tier. In the wake of Operation:REVIVAL, House Kurita embarked on a crash WarShip development program to try and match the naval superiority of the Clans. Today, we are joined by Dr. Randolph P. Checkers, one of the Periphery’s finest historians, to discuss one product of this program, the ill-fated Tatsumaki Class destroyer.
July 24 · 14 min
Moon Tank 2: Lunokhod 2 (w. Victoria Scott)
The guy who made the Ultima games owns a space tank. We’re back with auto journalist and podcaster Victoria Scott to keep talking Lunokhod. In Part 2, we go over the journey of Lunokhod 2, lives saved in the Chernobyl Disaster, and the post-Soviet desperation that led to a Moon rover being sold for $68,500. Check out Victoria’s work here and listen to Tran Girlismo! Find our merch store here Support FTL on Patreon to unlock bonus content and join our Discord community SOURCES: - Unmanned Missions toward the Moon, Anatoly Zak - Soviet and Russian Lunar Exploration, Brian Harvey - Tank on the Moon, 2007 FTL theme song by DJ Danarchy
July 15 · 1 hr 27 min
Moon Tank: Lunokhod 1 (w. Victoria Scott)
In a desperate bid to one-up the American Apollo missions, the Soviets built nuclear Moon tanks. We’re joined by auto journalist and podcaster Victoria Scott for a series on the Soviet Lunokhod rovers. In Part 1, we talk about the three-pronged Soviet lunar program, how they built the first space tank, and how you can stay warm in winter with a kilo of Polonium-210. Check out Victoria’s work here and listen to Tran Girlismo! Find our merch store here Support FTL on Patreon to unlock bonus content and join our Discord community SOURCES: - Unmanned Missions toward the Moon, Anatoly Zak - Soviet and Russian Lunar Exploration, Brian Harvey - Tank on the Moon, 2007 FTL theme song by DJ Danarchy
July 1 · 1 hr 26 min
Burn Space Down: The Starfish Prime Shot
On July 9th, 1962, the US Navy lit space on fire from Hawaii to New Zealand and fried a quarter of all active satellites in orbit. This week, we’re joined by engineer and friend of the show Ian to talk about Starfish Prime, the largest nuclear test ever conducted in space, and all the satellites that test killed. Find our merch store here Support FTL on Patreon to get bonus content and join our Discord community SOURCES: - Burning the Sky, Mark Wolverton - Dark Sun: Making of the Hydrogen Bomb, Richard Rhodes FTL theme song by DJ Danarchy
June 26 · 1 hr 56 min
*PREVIEW* The Lesson (1987)
This is a preview of a bonus episode. To hear the rest of the episode and unlock more bonus content, support Failure To Launch on Patreon at any tier. For June’s bonus, we’re joined by Ani Mejlumyan of the Lions Led By Donkeys podcast to talk all about The Lesson, a strange Soviet-Armenian animated short about environmentalism. Or possibly John Lennon. Or being so relentlessly horny that you short-circuit a Soviet censor’s brain.
June 25 · 19 min
Deep Sea & Space (w. Dr Alan Jamieson)
The earliest manned spaceflights were universally cramped, uncomfortable, and dangerous. What if your job was to do that multiple times a year underwater? This week, we're joined by Dr. Alan Jamieson, an accomplished marine biologist, veteran of many deep sea dives, and a host of the Deep Sea Podcast to compare our respective environments and see how they line up. Check out the Deep Sea Podcast here! Support FTL on Patreon to unlock bonus content and join our Discord community! FTL theme song by DJ Danarchy
June 11 · 1 hr 30 min
*UNLOCKED* Gleipnir (Ace Combat X)
More Ace Combat announcements are coming out and we're very excited about that, so we're unlocking our bonus episode from earlier this year on the Gleipnir flying stealthing aircraftlasermissilebattlecarrier. The final boss of superweapon development. A weapon worth double digits of the GDP of Laesath. The universe's most powerful Blue Angel. This time, we're tackling a fan request topic: Diego Gaspar Navarro's Folly, the Gleipnir.
June 5 · 1 hr 1 min
*PREVIEW* Despoiler Class (w. 40K Badcast)
This is a preview of a bonus episode. To hear the rest of the episode and unlock more bonus content, consider supporting Failure To Launch on Patreon.
May 29 · 14 min
The Coup of OKB-1 (w. Joe Kassabian)
A lot of people know that the Soviets canceled their manned lunar program after losing the Moon Race to Apollo. What most don’t know is how that program ended: in a backroom, cloak-and-dagger palace coup that made one man the unquestioned King of Soviet Space. This week, we’re joined by Joe Kassabian to talk about The Coup of OKB-1 by 𝓜𝓞𝓜. Listen to Lions Led By Donkeys here and check out Joe’s upcoming book! Find our merch store here! Support FTL on Patreon to unlock bonus content and join our Discord community! SOURCES: - Challenge to Apollo, Asif Siddiqi - Rockets & People 4, Boris Chertok - Soviet and Russian Lunar Exploration, Brian Harvey - RussianSpaceWeb, Anatoly Zak FTL theme song by DJ Danarchy
May 22 · 1 hr 20 min
NASA Cuts w. Gene Mikulka
In April 2026, while the crew of Artemis 2 was still travelling around the Moon, the Trump administration put forward a budget proposal to gut NASA. This week, we’re joined by space policy analyst and host of the Talking Space podcast, Gene Mikulka, to go over the threats to space science and the grassroots resistance to the cuts. Check out the Talking Space podcast here and follow Gene on Bluesky!Astronauts for America interview Find our merch store here!Support FTL on Patreon to unlock bonus content and join our Discord community! FTL theme song by DJ Danarchy
May 8 · 1 hr 34 min
NASA Railroad & Soyuz City (w. Gareth Dennis)
Alternate title: Railing Rockets. We're joined by Gareth Dennis, host of the RailNatter podcast, to talk about the intersections of rockets and trains. Gareth came prepared with a wonderful story of horses' arses and the NASA Railroad. Quinn, meanwhile, got sidetracked and wrote about how Soviet OKB head Sergei Korolev accidentally bankrupted a city. Check out RailNatter and Gareth's other videos here! Find our new merch store here! Support FTL on Patreon to unlock bonus content and join our Discord community! FTL theme song by DJ Danarchy
April 23 · 1 hr 59 min
*PREVIEW* Gleipnir (Ace Combat X)
This is a preview of a bonus episode. To hear the rest of the episode and unlock more bonus content, consider supporting Failure To Launch on Patreon.
April 16 · 14 min
Part 2: Viktor Ilyin, Would-Be Cosmonaut Assassin
The only thing that can stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a motorcycle. We're back for part 2 of our series on Viktor Ilyin and the story leading up to the attempted assassination of Leonid Brezhnev in 1969. Find our merch store here! Support FTL on Patreon to unlock bonus content and join our Discord community! SOURCES: - Into the Cosmos, Asif Siddiqi and James Andrews - The First Cosmonaut Team, Colin Burgess and Rex Hall - Soyuz-4 and -5 crews perform docking, spacewalk between ships, Anatoly Zak FTL theme song by DJ Danarchy
April 8 · 47 min
Alien Planet & Spec Bio (w. Jay Eaton)
What would alien life look like? Would it look shockingly like an Ho-229 jet fighter? Would it be best researched by an AI with the mind of a preschooler? This week, we're joined by comic artist and speculative biology enthusiast Jay Eaton to talk about potential alien life and a really weird 2005 Discovery documentary, Alien Planet. Check out Jay's webcomic, Runaway to the Stars, here and sign up for the Kickstarter of their book! Find our new merch store here! Support FTL on Patreon to unlock bonus content and join our Discord community! FTL theme song by DJ Danarchy
April 3 · 1 hr 31 min
*PREVIEW* Mystery of the Third Planet (1981)
This is a preview of a bonus episode. To hear the rest of the episode and unlock more bonus content, consider supporting Failure To Launch on Patreon.
March 31 · 13 min
Part 1: Viktor Ilyin, Would-Be Cosmonaut Assassin
Cosmonaut Boris Volynov almost died twice in one week in January 1969. The first was when his Soyuz-5 capsule nearly burned up on reentry. The second was when a Soviet Army defector ambushed the motorcade carrying him, seven other cosmonauts, and Premier Leonid Brezhnev with akimbo Makarovs. This is Part 1 of our series into the weird story of an attempted assassination of the leader of the Soviet Union. Find our new merch store here! Support FTL on Patreon to unlock bonus content and join our Discord community! SOURCES: - Into the Cosmos, Asif Siddiqi and James Andrews - The First Cosmonaut Team, Colin Burgess and Rex Hall - Soyuz-4 and 5 crews perform docking, spacewalk between ships, Anatoly Zak FTL theme song by DJ Danarchy
March 26 · 53 min
*UNLOCKED* Sunshine (2007)
ЩΉΛƬ DӨ YӨЦ ƧΣΣ? On audience request, this time we're reviewing 2007's Sunshine. It's got a great cast, a legendary soundtrack, good reviews, financial failure, and it made Cillian Murphy an atheist.
February 25 · 2 hr 14 min
*PREVIEW* Red Planet (2000)
This is a preview of a bonus episode. To hear the rest of the episode and unlock more bonus content, consider supporting Failure To Launch on Patreon.
February 19 · 14 min
Skylab 4 - The Myth of the Space Mutiny
No, a trio of astronauts on NASA's Skylab station did not stage a mutiny over poor working conditions. Yes, they would've been justified if they had staged a real mutiny. Today, we're tackling Skylab-4 and the legend of the First Strike in Space. Find our new merch store here! Support FTL on Patreon to unlock bonus content and join our Discord community! SOURCES: - Skylab: The Human Side of a Scientific Mission - https://nss.org/space-myths-busted-no-there-wasnt-a-mutiny-on-skylab/ - https://nss.org/i-finally-read-a-house-in-space-and-it-is-a-big-ol-mess/
February 11 · 1 hr 17 min

Failure To Launch

Episodes20

Soyuz-23: Ice Fishing for Cosmonauts (w. Matt Lowne)

PREVIEW Tatsumaki Class (w. Tex Talks Battletech)

Moon Tank 2: Lunokhod 2 (w. Victoria Scott)

Moon Tank: Lunokhod 1 (w. Victoria Scott)

Burn Space Down: The Starfish Prime Shot

PREVIEW The Lesson (1987)

Deep Sea & Space (w. Dr Alan Jamieson)

UNLOCKED Gleipnir (Ace Combat X)

PREVIEW Despoiler Class (w. 40K Badcast)

The Coup of OKB-1 (w. Joe Kassabian)

NASA Cuts w. Gene Mikulka

NASA Railroad & Soyuz City (w. Gareth Dennis)

PREVIEW Gleipnir (Ace Combat X)

Part 2: Viktor Ilyin, Would-Be Cosmonaut Assassin

Alien Planet & Spec Bio (w. Jay Eaton)

PREVIEW Mystery of the Third Planet (1981)

Part 1: Viktor Ilyin, Would-Be Cosmonaut Assassin

UNLOCKED Sunshine (2007)

PREVIEW Red Planet (2000)

Skylab 4 - The Myth of the Space Mutiny

Failure To Launch

Soyuz-23: Ice Fishing for Cosmonauts (w. Matt Lowne)

*PREVIEW* Tatsumaki Class (w. Tex Talks Battletech)

Moon Tank 2: Lunokhod 2 (w. Victoria Scott)

Moon Tank: Lunokhod 1 (w. Victoria Scott)

Burn Space Down: The Starfish Prime Shot

*PREVIEW* The Lesson (1987)

Deep Sea & Space (w. Dr Alan Jamieson)

*UNLOCKED* Gleipnir (Ace Combat X)

*PREVIEW* Despoiler Class (w. 40K Badcast)

The Coup of OKB-1 (w. Joe Kassabian)

NASA Cuts w. Gene Mikulka

NASA Railroad & Soyuz City (w. Gareth Dennis)

*PREVIEW* Gleipnir (Ace Combat X)

Part 2: Viktor Ilyin, Would-Be Cosmonaut Assassin

Alien Planet & Spec Bio (w. Jay Eaton)

*PREVIEW* Mystery of the Third Planet (1981)

Part 1: Viktor Ilyin, Would-Be Cosmonaut Assassin

*UNLOCKED* Sunshine (2007)

*PREVIEW* Red Planet (2000)

Skylab 4 - The Myth of the Space Mutiny

PREVIEW Tatsumaki Class (w. Tex Talks Battletech)

PREVIEW The Lesson (1987)

UNLOCKED Gleipnir (Ace Combat X)

PREVIEW Despoiler Class (w. 40K Badcast)

PREVIEW Gleipnir (Ace Combat X)

PREVIEW Mystery of the Third Planet (1981)

UNLOCKED Sunshine (2007)

PREVIEW Red Planet (2000)