SpaceX
Shaun Mahaffey is an experienced professional in the aerospace and aviation sectors, currently serving as the Spacecraft Integration Lead at SpaceX since November 2018, where responsibilities include managing propulsion systems, avionics, structures, and electromechanical assemblies, as well as providing quality inspection support. Prior to this role, Shaun served in the US Army as an Armed Forces aircraft mechanic specializing in the UH-60 Blackhawk from March 2012 to November 2018. Additional experience includes work as an Aircraft Avionics Specialist at PlaneTechs LLC and as a Sales Manager at AutoZone. Shaun holds an FAA Airframe & Powerplant degree from Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology, completed between 2013 and 2015, and obtained a high school diploma in General Studies from Century High School in 2007.
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SpaceX
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SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches the world’s most advanced rockets and spacecraft. The company was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk to revolutionize space transportation, with the ultimate goal of making life multiplanetary. SpaceX has gained worldwide attention for a series of historic milestones. It is the only private company ever to return a spacecraft from low-Earth orbit, which it first accomplished in December 2010. The company made history again in May 2012 when its Dragon spacecraft attached to the International Space Station, exchanged cargo payloads, and returned safely to Earth — a technically challenging feat previously accomplished only by governments. Since then Dragon has delivered cargo to and from the space station multiple times, providing regular cargo resupply missions for NASA. SpaceX believes a fully and rapidly reusable rocket is the pivotal breakthrough needed to substantially reduce the cost of space access. The majority of the launch cost comes from building the rocket, which historically has flown only once. Compare that to a commercial airliner – each new plane costs about the same as Falcon 9 but can fly multiple times per day and conduct tens of thousands of flights over its lifetime. Following the commercial model, a rapidly reusable space launch vehicle could reduce the cost of traveling to space by a hundredfold. While most rockets are designed to burn up on reentry, SpaceX rockets can not only withstand reentry but can also successfully land back on Earth and refly again. SpaceX’s family of Falcon launch vehicles are the first and only orbital class rockets capable of reflight. Depending on the performance required for the mission, Falcon lands on one of our autonomous spaceport droneships out on the ocean or one of our landing zones near our launch pads.