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 recent successful on-orbit checkout of the first Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) High highly elliptical orbit (HEO) payload bodes well for the ongoing development of the future geosynchronous (GEO) sensor, according to U.S. Air Force space officials.
The Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) has released $60 million in fiscal 2006 and 2007 funds to the Joint Common Missile (JCM) program. The Army received $51 million and the Navy $9 million, according to an OSD spokeswoman. An industry source told The DAILY that Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England had been scheduled to meet with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to discuss the program and make a formal decision on JCM. OSD said it is too early to comment on the missile's long-term future.
The U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has shifted $126.2 million in internal funding to help pay for a program restructuring and additional testing for the Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS) Block 6 test satellite program. Northrop Grumman is the prime contractor for STSS, a planned constellation of satellites for tracking missiles and re-entry vehicles through the boost, midcourse and terminal phases of flight. STSS previously was known as the Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) Low, an Air Force-led program that was shelved in the late 1990s.
