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.
NASA has picked Lockheed Martin to support agency systems at Johnson Space Center and elsewhere that are used for training astronauts and conducting human spaceflight missions, awarding the company a contract with a potential total value close to $1 billion. The new Facilities Development and Operations Contract (FDOC) replaces the Mission Support Operations Contract and incorporates portions of the work performed under the Space Program Operations Contract currently held by United Space Alliance.
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is raising questions about NASA’s ability to develop its follow-on Ares/Orion human spaceflight systems on time and on budget, given the agency’s recent history and fiscal tribulations. Under its Constellation program, NASA is planning initial operating capability (IOC) for the Ares I rocket and Orion spacecraft in March 2015, and has a 65 percent confidence level of making that target. (See charts pp. 6-8.)
