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 first launch of the Advanced Polar System (APS) satellites in DOD's Transformational Communications MILSATCOM (TCM) program has slipped two years to fiscal 2013, according to the Air Force. Following a $100 million congressional budget cut, the Air Force told contractors not to perform work on the APS spacecraft in the next phase of the TCM effort (DAILY, Oct. 22). However, the polar satellites have not been dropped, according to the Air Force.
The U.S. Marine Corps is developing a unique nonlethal weapon that would hamper an enemy's mobility by making the ground exceedingly slippery. This "anti-traction" system's polyacrylamide powder is mixed with water and sprayed over flat surfaces to make them slicker than ice. The powder compound is used by the drilling industry, according to George Gibbs, a nonlethal weapons engineer at Marine Corps Systems Command (MARCORSYSCOM).
Among the next major hurdles facing the nascent suborbital reusable launch vehicle (RLV) industry are insurance and liability, according to Patrick Bahn, Washington director of the Suborbital Institute and founder of TGV Rockets. The slump in the insurance industry following the 9/11 terrorist attacks has resulted in a "disastrous" situation for RLV makers that could choke the industry before it has a chance to grow, according to Bahn.
