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.
Northrop Grumman expects its acquisition of Scaled Composites to clear its regulatory hurdles and close some time in August, according to Northrop spokesman Dan McClain. "Burt Rutan and the whole executive team is staying on, and we intend to continue to operate Scaled Composites in its current operating mode as a separate entity within" Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems, McClain said
The two Orbital Express satellites were decommissioned this past weekend, bringing down the curtain on the pioneering joint mission to demonstrate on-orbit satellite servicing. Ball Aerospace's NextSat, which served as the "client" spacecraft, was shut down July 21 and Boeing Phantom Works' ASTRO (Autonomous Space Transport Robotic Operations) servicer was shut down July 22.
With the Orbital Express mission over, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (Darpa) manager for the program has a message for America’s military space architects: U.S. satellites could use a “first responder” servicing satellite to help them when they get into trouble in orbit.
