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 last of the eight Global Positioning System Block IIR satellites—GPS-IIR21 (M)—is due for liftoff Aug. 17 from Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla. Launch will be on board the last Delta II purchased by the U.S. Air Force. The eight satellites were upgraded from a series of 21 built by Lockheed Martin with navigation systems and payload from ITT. They are characterized by increased signal power to ground receivers, two new military signals to improve accuracy, enhanced encryption and anti-jamming capabilities, and a second open-access signal for civil users.
STANDING TALL: Assembly of NASA’s Ares I-X test rocket was completed Aug. 13. The 327-foot tall launch vehicle now stands in the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., marking the first time in more than 25 years that a new space vehicle has stood in the cavernous facility. The rocket, with a simulated crew module stacked atop it, stands on a mobile launch platform in preparation for launch Oct. 31.
In the run up to the planned launch of space shuttle Discovery later this month on STS-128, NASA is still analyzing the surprising foam debris shedding on the previous mission, with some engineers calling for the shuttle to be rolled back from the launch pad for more in-depth analysis. STS-127 saw worrisome foam losses from three areas of the big external fuel tank — the forward bipod area, an ice/frost ramp on the liquid oxygen tank, and the intertank area.
