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.
NASA plans to announce several more small Centennial Challenge prize competitions in coming weeks and will begin sharing information about larger prizes later this year, according to Program Manager Brant Sponberg. NASA announced the first two competitions - for high-strength tether materials and wireless power transmission - that will be held on an annual basis starting this year. The 2005 winner will receive $50,000 and the 2006 winner $100,000 (DAILY, March 25).
The U.S. Department of Defense is striving to become a better commercial satellite communications customer by interacting more with industry and streamlining its acquisition process, according to military officials.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) of Japan plans to begin offering commercial launches on its H-IIA rocket starting in 2007, according to Shoichiro Asada, the company's director of H-IIA launch services. The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) currently delegates responsibility for managing H-IIA flights to Rocket System Corp., a consortium led by MHI. The eighth, ninth and 10th flights for the H-IIA are expected by the end of the year, according to Asada. Sole responsibility
