Irene Klotz is Senior Space Editor for Aviation Week, based in Cape Canaveral. Before joining Aviation Week in 2017, Irene spent 25 years as a wire service reporter covering human and robotic spaceflight, commercial space, astronomy, science and technology for Reuters and United Press International. She also worked with Discovery Communications, Discovery News and was a founding member of Space.com.
Irene cut her teeth on the space beat at Florida Today newspaper, a business writer enchanted by the colorful entrepreneurs who wanted access to Air Force launch facilities and assets after commercial payloads were taken off the space shuttles following the 1986 Challenger accident. Commercial space remains the focus of her work, along with a keen interest in the search for life beyond Earth.
A graduate of Northwestern University, Irene is the 2014 recipient of the Harry Kolcum Memorial News and Communications Award, named in honor of the late Aviation Week managing editor and Cape Canaveral senior editor who was among Irene’s earliest mentors.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A bill pending before Florida Gov. Rick Scott would count severance pay for laid-off workers when calculating unemployment benefits, a policy that could affect thousands of NASA contractors sidelined by the space shuttle’s retirement. If Scott, a Republican who supported earlier versions of the bill as it wound through the legislative process, signs the new law, known as HB 7005, the double-pay benefits would stop effective Aug. 1.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The U.S. Air Force plans to fold operations, maintenance, systems engineering and sustainment work at the Eastern and Western Test Ranges and the Space and Missile Systems Center into a single contract, estimated to be worth about $3.8 billion over 10 years.
Space Florida, a state-backed agency working to expand space-related business in Florida, is in discussions with NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) to take over one of the space shuttle’s processing hangars. “We have plans with Space Florida to turn over one of the Orbiter Processing Facilities for them to operate,” KSC Director Bob Cabana said during the May meeting of National Space Club Florida.
