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.
Key aerospace groups say they approve of the White House's new national aeronautics research and development (R&D) policy, although group leaders stressed the need for the policy to be supported with funding. "We are thankful that the administration has recognized the importance of aeronautics in strong and forceful language," said John Douglass, president of the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA). "The challenge now is to make the financial commitment match the policy."
President Bush has signed off on the first-ever U.S. aeronautics research and development (R&D) policy, and has tasked the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) with developing a research road map and infrastructure plan to support it by the end of 2007. "The overarching goal of the policy is to advance U.S. technological leadership in aeronautics by fostering a vibrant and dynamic aeronautics research and development community that includes government, industry and academia," the White House said.
The U.S. Air Force has awarded rival Lockheed Martin and Boeing teams roughly $50 million each to support an upcoming system design review (SDR) for the Global Positioning System (GPS) III satellite program. The SDR is coming up in March 2007, with the first launch of a GPS III spacecraft targeted for 2013, although the Air Force plans to offer incentives to the contractors to advance the first launch date by as much as two years. Both teams recently completed system requirements reviews.
