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.
Prime contractor Lockheed Martin and payload integrator Northrop Grumman have submitted their proposal to the U.S. Air Force for the follow-on production phase of the Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS). SBIRS is DOD’s next-generation missile warning system, and will replace the aging Defense Support Program constellation. So far, the program has delivered two payloads for classified host satellites in highly elliptical orbit (HEO), and plans to deliver the first dedicated geostationary orbit (GEO) SBIRS satellite for a launch no earlier than summer 2010.
A Sun shield being developed to shade the upper-stage fuel tanks on the Atlas V rocket and prevent fuel boil-off should be ready for testing by April 2011, according to United Launch Alliance (ULA). The test deployment will take place after the primary payload separates, during a flight that does not require the shield. Normally, it will inflate and deploy after the payload fairing is jettisoned. ULA, ILC Dover and NASA are collaborating on the inflatable shield, which ULA says could be adapted to other rockets or used for orbiting fuel depots.
Financial experts say the credit crunch is forcing more telecom satellite startups to resort to project financing—funding backed mainly by expected cash flow—supported by export credit agency guarantees. The export guarantees are being driven by growing aggressiveness from France’s Coface—as illustrated by a Globalstar deal signed last month (AW&ST Mar. 30, p. 24)—that experts say is causing the U.S. Export-Import Bank to begin to stir. One example is ABS-2, a C-/Ku-band spacecraft that Asia Broadcasting Satellite (ABS) of Hong Kong wants to orbit to 75 deg. E. Long.
