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.
Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) is retargeting launch of its first Dragon capsule from late November to Dec. 7, the company said Nov. 8. “We think more testing could be valuable,” SpaceX spokeswoman Kirstin Brost said. Dragon is to be launched on SpaceX’s second Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The mission is the first of three planned under a $278 million NASA contract to flight test the Dragon capsule and related technologies needed for cargo delivery missions to the International Space Station.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — NASA called off the scheduled Nov. 3 launch attempt of space shuttle Discovery on its 39th and final flight to assess a potential problem with the backup controller of one of the ship’s main engines, officials said Nov. 2.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — NASA managers met Nov. 1 to review preparations for the space shuttle Discovery launch on STS-133, clearing the spacecraft for liftoff Nov. 3 on what will be its 39th and final flight. It was a quick meeting, with unanimous consent to press ahead with a launch attempt at 3:52 p.m. EDT. “If I wouldn’t have talked about how quickly it was going, it would have gone even faster. We didn’t have any technical issues to discuss,” quips Mike Moses, shuttle launch integration manager at Kennedy Space Center.
