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 U.S. Air Force is studying the alternative of performing a service life extension program (SLEP) on already-built Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) spacecraft that have yet to launch. The study is part of the Nunn-McCurdy review process on the overbudget National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS).
Progress is being made in protecting U.S. satellites from the dangerous aftereffects of nuclear detonations, according to James Tegnelia, director of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA). When a nuclear weapon goes off above Earth's atmosphere, high-energy electrons become trapped in the Earth's magnetic belts and can remain in orbit for up to a year. As satellites in low-Earth orbit pass through this environment, they receive repeated high doses of radiation that can overwhelm their systems.
SpaceDev Inc. of Poway, Calif., finished 2005 with its 12th consecutive quarter of revenue growth and eighth consecutive quarter of operating profit, company officials said during a conference call March 29. SpaceDev's 2005 revenue was approximately $9 million, an increase of 84 percent compared to approximately $4.9 million in 2004. The increase mostly was due to the company's work with the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and other smaller government contracts.
