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.
Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) is developing a reusable spacecraft called DragonLab, which will accommodate pressurized or unpressurized payloads and is designed to be boosted by the company’s upcoming Falcon 9 rocket. The spacecraft can provide a platform for in-orbit experiments, according to SpaceX, and will allow for payload recovery. Meanwhile, development continues on Dragon, the spacecraft co-funded by NASA that SpaceX is building to supply the International Space Station.
SES says it has been affected by further solar array failures on its fleet of Lockheed Martin A2100 spacecraft. In August, the satcom operator reported a small reduction in commercial capacity on two satellites, AMC-4 and AMC-16, with “some potential future additional degradation.” Aon Space, in a September report, said AMC-16 “continues to lose solar array strings” and that the power loss is rumored to be at 25%, sufficient to trigger a claim. In third-quarter results disclosed Oct. 27, SES revealed it had lost six transponders on its AMC-6 satellite.
NASA has awarded United Space Alliance (USA) the Integrated Mission Operations Contract, signaling a continuing partnership between the agency and the company for operation of the Mission Control Center at Johnson Space Center in Houston. The award is valued at $206.5 million for the three-year base period, which could grow to $371 million if a fourth option year and variable work content are fully exercised. The sole-sourced contract will support JSC with flight operations work for the Constellation and International Space Station programs.
