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 closing of the merger between erstwhile rivals Intelsat and PanAmSat creates the biggest satellite operator in the industry's history and puts more pressure on smaller companies to join together or specialize to stay afloat in a marketplace still characterized by excess supply.
Concerned over the possible ramifications of Senate defense authorization language that would require fixed-price contracts for most Defense Department development programs, the Aerospace Industries Association is urging Congress to explore other methods to control costs. The Senate's fiscal 2007 defense authorization bill (S.2766) would mandate the used of fixed-price contracts for research and development (R&D) unless the secretary of defense determines that the program is too complex and risky.
In a new report, the National Academies' Space Studies Board (SSB) criticizes the lack of a Mars sample return mission in NASA's current plans, and urges the agency to begin technology development to support such a mission as soon as possible.
