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.
Prime contractor Lockheed Martin and payload integrator Northrop Grumman have submitted their proposal to the U.S. Air Force for the follow-on production phase of the Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS). SBIRS is DOD’s next-generation missile warning system, and will replace the aging Defense Support Program constellation. So far, the program has delivered two payloads for classified host satellites in highly elliptical orbit (HEO), and plans to deliver the first dedicated geostationary orbit (GEO) SBIRS satellite for a launch no earlier than summer 2010.
Orbital checkout is underway for the U.S. Air Force’s second Wideband Global Satcom (WGS) spacecraft. Built by Boeing at its factory in El Segundo, Calif., WGS-2 lifted off at 8:31 p.m. EDT Apr. 3 on board a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 421 rocket. A ground station in Dongara, Australia, received the military communication satellite’s first signals 44 min. later, and Boeing confirmed that the satellite is functioning normally. After a series of in-orbit maneuvers and tests, WGS-2 will be turned over to the Air Force.
Financial experts say the credit crunch is forcing more telecom satellite startups to resort to project financing—funding backed mainly by expected cash flow—supported by export credit agency guarantees. The export guarantees are being driven by growing aggressiveness from France’s Coface—as illustrated by a Globalstar deal signed last month (AW&ST Mar. 30, p. 24)—that experts say is causing the U.S. Export-Import Bank to begin to stir. One example is ABS-2, a C-/Ku-band spacecraft that Asia Broadcasting Satellite (ABS) of Hong Kong wants to orbit to 75 deg. E. Long.
