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.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) chief Conrad Lautenbacher told Senate lawmakers May 6 that if NOAA is funded under a continuing resolution for fiscal 2009 it could delay the next-generation Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-R) system by a year. NOAA already has let contracts for the instruments to be carried on the GOES-R weather satellites, but the agency has yet to choose prime contractors to build the spacecraft or the ground segment.
The tri-agency committee that oversees the civil/military National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) has agreed to restore the Total Solar Irradiance Sensor (TSIS) to the first NPOESS spacecraft.
Anticipating a glut of flight requests from prospective commercial operators of small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in the next several years, FAA has assembled a rulemaking committee to develop regulations for their use. The group’s first meeting is scheduled for next month, according to Doug Davis, head of FAA’s UAS program office. The committee’s goal will be to develop draft policies for the commercial use of UAS below a specified weight, speed and/or altitude.
