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.
SpaceX’s first dedicated small sat rideshare mission provided dozens of startups the chance to test novel cubesat systems in LEO, but nine months after launch, owners of 12 spacecraft have yet to claim ownership of their birds.
The company's ultimate plan is to capture returning boosters in mid-air by helicopter for refurbishment and reflight, with the goal of boosting Electron’s launch rate from monthly to weekly flights.
Six months after launching a prototype three-cubesat constellation to identify radio frequency (RF) emitter locations worldwide, startup HawkEye 360 has closed a $70 million round of financing to build and launch a commercial network and develop a line of RF analytic products.
