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Our teamwork sets SEOPS apart from other companies in the industry. We have unmatched experience and a work ethic that keeps our customers coming back. This might be best exemplified by Jeff Fitch, our VP of Integration and Operations. 

Jeff joined our team in 2018, with decades of experience in the space industry. He began his career doing trajectory work on the Space Shuttle Program. He then trained Astronauts for 14 different Space Shuttle missions on Spacecrafts like INTELSAT, Hubble Space Telescope, and Tethered Satellite. He had experience as an operations planner for the International Space Station, including planning what the crew did during their time in space. Jeff was a Space Station Payload Integration Manager where he managed various pieces of hardware designed to the Earth and space. The consummate problem solver, Jeff has been faced with critical challenges, such as how to keep the Space Station manned during the Columbia accident, when rations and consumables could not be delivered for the standard on-orbit operations.

“Space is about proving you can do cool stuff. For me, the exciting part happens after the rocket launches, when you’re on-orbit. That’s what excites me,” says Jeff.

From there, Jeff moved on to being a professional project manager, utilizing his problem-solving experience to improve processes. As a safety engineer, he reconnected with Mike Johnson, co-founder of SEOPS, who brought him on board. In the early days, it was just Mike, CEO Chad Brinkley and Jeff.  They put their collective experience together to become a powerhouse team that built SEOPS into what it is today. Jeff continued to solve problems and break down barriers that other companies could not, working with NASA, SpaceX and other customers and communicating with everyone from administrators to engineers. 

“Jeff brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to SEOPS like no one else. He has personally lived the space program from his Shuttle days through the explosion of the commercial space business,” says Mike Johnson, SEOPS co-founder and CTO. “It has been through his navigation and keen insight that SEOPS has made so many wins and avoided some great pitfalls.”

His skills at communication and passion for space also went outside work – he is a natural educator, whether it is industry professionals or children. He is passionate about passing his love of space and STEM to kids, and brought hands-on science to children through National Science Foundation grants and the Girl Scouts.  Jeff loved volunteering at Challenger Learning Center in his home town of Normal, Illinois where he could show students how to work together as a team, while learning about what it takes to go to space. This passion is something he hopes to continue in the future as he looks towards a well-deserved retirement. 

“Jeff has been a backbone of SEOPS since the beginning,” says Chad Brinkley. “It’s been a pleasure to work with him as we’ve built SEOPS into what it is today. He has left quite a legacy here.”

Jeff credits the rest of the team for creating an environment that has kept him doing what he loves for so long. “The people are what make your career what it is,” he says. “It’s great to have good teammates because when you can pull together and function better as a unit than you can as an individual, that’s incredible.”

Mike Johnson has some final thoughts for Jeff: “Couldn’t you just retire at SEOPS? We would include golf rounds! Seriously, please enjoy your future to the fullest my friend.”

We are grateful for all of Jeff’s hard work during his career, and wish him the best in retirement!

SpaceTech Expo Toolkit and Resources

Our team is excited to be headed to Bremen Germany for Space Tech Expo Europe. We’re looking forward to meeting face-to-face with our partners, customers, media and other players in the European space industry. We’ve got a lot of things planned and are looking forward to sharing updates on what SEOPS is doing.

Below are links to our Space Tech Expo Toolkit where you can get the latest info:

LATEST NEWS

SEOPS Selects SpaceX’s Falcon 9 for Launch of a Dedicated Direct-to-GTO Rideshare Mission

SEOPS Expands Launch Services in Europe via Partnership with Netherlands’ Axient Systems

SEOPS Guiding principles. Read what makes us tick, with this message from our CEO, Chad Brinkley.

Introducing LaunchLock! Learn more about our latest offering to bring maximum flexibility in securing a launch.

Customer profile — C3S from Budapest, Hungary: Read about we helped C3S secure a launch when their original plans fell through.

SPACE TECH EXPO EVENT

Join us for this fireside chat with Space News journalist Jeff Foust. Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 14:50. Don’t miss it! Fireside chat: Space Topics Getting Press Attention.

Products and Services

Looking for more detailed information about our Products and Services? Check out the website pages, and download information sheets here:

• Deployment Systems – ↓ PDF
• Rideshare and Integration – ↓ PDF
• LaunchLock – ↓ PDF
  Learn about our new Rideshare program that allows you to book a flexible window for Rideshare launches to all destinations, from LEO, GTO, to Lunar orbits.
• OctoBus OTV – ↓ PDF

Secure Now, Launch Later: Introducing LaunchLock

At SEOPS, we are proud to be opening a new frontier in responsive space access. For nearly a decade, we have been a trusted partner of both U.S. government and commercial customers to achieve mission success. As part of our relentless drive to serve our customers, we are committed to eliminating challenges, not just working through them.

One challenge many organizations face is securing a launch opportunity when spacecraft designs are not completely solidified. To help address this challenge, we have developed a flexible way to secure a launch: LaunchLock.

Booking a launch when there are many unknowns

Many organizations wanting to launch spacecraft deal with uncertain timelines. Trying to gauge spacecraft readiness, funding milestones, radio licensing, and supply chain logistics combined with buying launch capacity can be cumbersome. These challenges can be difficult, especially for first time flyers and those with unique spacecraft missions. 

Typical launch contracts requiring operators to commit to a specific launch date in advance can be problematic and why it needs to be a launch window. Trying to align every milestone date sometimes feels like trying to get the planets to align and rebooking fees can start to pile up. 

More time, more flexibility, more assistance

LaunchLock provides maximum flexibility with minimum risk because it focuses on a launch window that can be refined as you mature in the mission. It is designed for those who need more time, providing a 3-year advance opportunity to secure a launch window. 

And possibly even more importantly for some, it provides early access and assistance from the SEOPS team to iron out requirements that may influence the spacecraft design.  Early access to the integration team also means avoiding many of the pitfalls that come late in the game, and require costly waivers from launch vehicles, or more expensive modifications to meet criteria unknown at the beginning. 

When you ‘lock in’ early, you can continue to prepare your spacecraft and obtain necessary licensing, funding, or other aspects core to the mission, while investors or customers have the reassurance that a launch has been secured to meet revenue targets or capability initiatives. As your launch window gets closer you will have the ability to narrow down a specific launch date.

Many organizations’ spacecraft missions are tied to longer term goals, and often lean ahead in the development of their spacecraft while anticipated subsystems and payloads are in various stages of flight qualification. This environment equates to an uncertain future regarding exact launch dates. LaunchLock lets organizations build flexibility into the complex planning process of launching a payload to the desired orbit, and is ideal for: .

• Commercial Customers: Be confident that your launch is secured in the midst of uncertainty and ambiguity around development timelines, funding milestones and other moving targets. You’ll also lock in critical engineering knowledge and expertise earlier in the process, leading to a smoother ramp up to launch.
• Defense and Government: LaunchLock works for defense and government launch planning. With minimal details required at the start, it allows program managers and leaders to responsibly execute taxpayer dollars and ensure launch capacity is covered in a way that doesn’t jeopardize mission execution timelines. 
• Research and Education: Researchers frequently have funding constraints and are often forced to wait and address their launch needs very late in the process. LaunchLock permits institutions and organizations to secure launch capacity as one of the first steps without knowing all the details of time and logistics. This approach bolsters proposal efforts for grants and various opportunities.  

For those who have confidence in spacecraft readiness and know the launch vehicle and date they want to fly, SEOPS provides traditional Launch Service Agreements (LSAs). When signing the LSA about 12 months from the desired launch, a customer selects a specific vehicle and launch date. While efficient and streamlined, these contracts are less flexible, often having financial penalties and added operational consequences in the event rebooking is necessary for changes or delays.

Whether you need a traditional LSA or the added flexibility of LaunchLock, SEOPS is your trusted expert to get you where you need to go. SEOPS will continue to derive innovative and flexible solutions to serve our customers.

If you are interested in discussing which options are right for you, drop us a line at info@seops.space.