Jeff has been involved in aerospace journalism since the mid 1990s. Prior to joining Aviation Week, Jeff served as managing editor of Launchspace magazine and the International Space Industry Report. He has been the editor and chief of Aviation Week's Aerospace Daily & Defense Report since 2007 and has been a regular contributor to Aviation Week magazine. He received his B.A. from the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is seeking information on the possibility of hosting government weather sensors on commercial satellites. On Jan. 28 at the Commerce Department in Washington, NOAA will host an industry day to discuss "commercial solutions to meet space-based Earth and space weather observation requirements" of the U.S. government.
iRobot has settled its lawsuits against competitor Robotic FX, whose founder has been forbidden from competitive activities in the robotics industry for five years. Robotic FX will be dissolved and certain "residual assets" retained by iRobot. iRobot's cumulative legal and related expenses are expected to total roughly $2.9 million. In August 2007, iRobot filed two lawsuits against Robotic FX and its founder, former iRobot employee Jameel Ahed, alleging that Ahed stole proprietary information and used it in the creation of his Negotiator robot.
A delay in the selection process for the next Mars Scout mission has forced NASA to slip its launch from 2011 to 2013, marking the first time in a decade that the agency will miss a launch opportunity to the Red Planet. The selection delay occurred after NASA discovered an organizational conflict of interest on the board that evaluates Scout mission proposals.
