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.
The recently revealed $1.1 billion in additional costs for the troubled NPOESS program is an estimate of its out-year operations and maintenance expenses that was purposely not considered in previous estimates of the total price tag, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). NOAA is leading the development of the NPOESS (National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System) civil/military weather satellite constellation in conjunction with the U.S. Air Force and NASA. Northrop Grumman is the prime contractor.
ASTRONAUT DEADLINE: NASA’s application deadline for the 2009 Astronaut Candidate Class is July 1. To be considered, a bachelor’s degree in engineering, science or math and three years of relevant professional experience are required, the agency says. After a six-month evaluation period, NASA will announce final selections in early 2009. Astronaut candidates will report to Johnson Space Center in Houston during the summer of 2009 to begin their basic training program.
STSS STUDY: Northrop Grumman and Raytheon have completed a satellite payload trade study for the Northrop-led Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS), Raytheon announced June 24. “Results of the study may be used to enhance the performance of follow-on satellites, improving their capacity to provide timely midcourse tracking data and report missile attacks,” Raytheon said. Under development by the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, the STSS constellation (formerly SBIRS Low) is designed to detect enemy missiles in all phases of flight.
