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.
A source selection document explaining NASA's rationale for choosing Lockheed Martin to build the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) says the aerospace giant bested rival Northrop Grumman/Boeing's bid in the areas of mission suitability, cost, and past performance.
The U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) prime contractor Boeing are looking forward to the next test of the GMD system in December, which will virtually duplicate the conditions of the team's successful Sept. 1 test. While the overall scenario will be the same, the December test will include an intercept as one of its criteria for success. The Sept. 1 test successfully intercepted its target missile, although that was not one of the explicit test objectives (DAILY, Sept. 5).
Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) and Rocketplane-Kistler (RPK) made the final cut in NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program Aug. 18, signing funded Space Act agreements with the agency to demonstrate their schemes for autonomously resupplying the International Space Station (ISS). RPK is receiving $207 million from NASA and SpaceX is getting $278 million. Both companies proposed two-stage rockets powered by liquid oxygen/kerosene engines.
