Selected Journalism from 25+ Years at SpaceNews

This is a curated selection from 26 years of reporting on space, power, and ambition. From the launch of the ISS to the rise of SpaceX, I covered the business and politics of space through six U.S. presidencies. These aren’t all the stories I wrote—just the ones that still resonate. Grouped by theme, not chronology. Because space rarely moves in straight lines.

Elon’s Gonna Elon

Before he was a main character, Elon Musk was just trying to launch rockets. These pieces trace the arc from early ambition to orbital dominance.

• How Musk Sold Starlink to the Pentagon
• Bezos Brags, Musk Snarks, Twitter Cringes
• Requested Range Date Has Conflict—So Musk Got Loud
• SpaceX Falcon 9 Explodes on the Pad—Amos-6 Never Had a Chance
• My First Interview with Elon Musk, Circa 2003
  

NASA in Turbulence

Shuttle-era burnout. Budget holes. Moonshot plans with Earth-bound funding. NASA tried to turn the corner—then built another one.

• NASA’s $548 Million Pension Surprise
• NASA Suspends Contact with Russia—Except Where It Can’t
• Bush Pledges a Return to the Moon. The Fine Print Comes Later.
• No Surprise Here: Boeing’s Bid Was Bigger
  

From Columbia to SLS — An Era of Compromise

(Or was it a compromised era? Maybe just an error, in fact.) Columbia changed everything. The response changed little. The programs that followed promised reinvention—delivered compromise.

• Griffin’s First Days: Vision, Chaos, and Cargo Markets

RLVs and the Age of Overpromise

Reusable rockets were going to change everything—eventually. This was the first wave of PowerPoint propulsion systems.

• Early Elon: Shrinking the Launcher Market
• X-33 Faces Lengthy Delays—NASA Holds Its Breath
• NASA’s Reusable Launch Plan: Mostly Not Reused
  

Cancellations and Close Calls

The space industry moves forward one cancellation at a time. Here are a few near-misses and off-ramps.

• X-33’s Death Signals Shift in NASA’s Goals
• Space Symposium Cancelled as COVID Sends Everyone to Zoom

Most of what I wrote between 1998 and 2005 lives in binders, morgues, or personal archives.