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.
Last week NASA's James Webb Space Telescope program received approval from the U.S. State Department to launch on a European Ariane 5 rocket, finally clearing a hurdle that added roughly an extra year of delay to the already technically challenged program.
Congress is moving to pass changes to the Iran Nonproliferation Act that would create an exception for some U.S. payments to Russia in support of the International Space Station, but only through 2011. Introduced and explained by Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the Senate passed the bill Sept. 21 by unanimous consent. It has been reported in the House, where Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Science space and aeronautics subcommittee, predicted safe passage.
Air Force Undersecretary Ron Sega is reviewing the Defense Department's space acquisition programs as DOD's new executive agent for space, although his office has not yet regained formal acquisition authority. "This is one of my tasks, to go through and look at all of our systems here," Sega told reporters at a space conference in Washington Sept. 22. "So I've had a first look at some of the systems, but not really drilled down into it."
