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 launch of the HEO-2 second Space Based Infrared System (Sbirs) High test payload is likely to occur from Vandenberg AFB, Calif., on board a Lockheed Martin Atlas V currently scheduled for early April 2007. This will be the first launch of an Atlas V Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle from Vandenberg. The mission is designated National Reconnaissance Office 28 (NRO-28), since the HEO-2 sensor will be carried aloft with an NRO host satellite, most likely an NRO data-relay satellite, as with the HEO-1 mission.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has selected Cray Inc. and IBM to proceed to the next phase of the High Productivity Computing Systems (HPCS) program, which is aimed at accelerating the state of the art in supercomputing. Between now and the end of Phase III in 2010, Cray will receive $250 million total and IBM $244 million. The initial award value was $25 million for Cray and $12.2 million for IBM. Sun Microsystems also proposed for Phase III but was not selected.
ICO Global Communications has requested that the Federal Communications Commission grant it a six-month extension for the construction and launch of ICO's planned hybrid mobile satellite system, because of production/delivery issues encountered by the spacecraft manufacturer, Space Systems/Loral. The extension would move launch from July 1, 2007, to Nov. 30, 2007, and the in-service date from July 17, 2007, to Dec. 31, 2007.
