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.
Dave Ryan, head of Boeing Satellite Systems (BSS), predicts an upsurge in orders for commercial communications satellites toward the end of the decade, driven largely by replacement orders as current satellites are retired. The commercial satellite world still suffers from overcapacity in orbit, which has limited orders for new spacecraft to 15 or 16 per year. Ryan said he thinks that number could bounce back to the level of the late 1990s, roughly 20 to 30 new spacecraft per year, by 2007-2009.
International Launch Services (ILS), which has taken the lead in the commercial launch market while chief competitor Arianespace has grappled with technical problems on its Ariane 5 ECA, expects the market to "even out" again in the coming years as competition heats up, according to ILS President Mark Albrecht.
With NASA in the final stages of preparation for the space shuttle's return to flight, the Boeing Co. is anticipating reductions in its shuttle work force by year's end, as well as the imminent shutdown of an operation in Palmdale, Calif., that builds external tank disconnect valves.
