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.
Although the formal operational introduction of the first Wideband Global Satcom (WGS) spacecraft isn’t slated to occur until January 2009, the U.S. Air Force expects to make the communications satellite available for warfighters to use as early as April 2008. Following launch last October, the first WGS spacecraft, known as SV-1, was turned over to the Air Force by manufacturer Boeing on Jan. 28 (DAILY, Jan. 29). SV-1 is now beginning the process of regulation and certification by Army and Air Force operational testers.
RAILGUN: The Office of Naval Research will test fire an electromagnetic railgun (EMRG) at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren, Va. on Jan. 31, between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. EST. The gun will be fired at more than 10 megajoules of energy, which is a power level never before achieved by an EMRG, according to the Navy.
NASA’s Ames Research Center and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) signed a memorandum for the record on Jan. 26, agreeing to begin technical discussions on possible topics of collaboration in small satellite research. Areas for joint work include satellite communication, navigation systems, planetary exploration, lunar science, rovers, small satellites and related technologies.
