Jeff Foust
Jeff Foust is a Senior Staff Writer at SpaceNews, a space industry news magazine and website, where he writes about space policy, commercial spaceflight and other aerospace industry topics. Jeff has a Ph.D. in planetary sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and earned a bachelor's degree in geophysics and planetary science from the California Institute of Technology. You can see Jeff's latest projects by following him on Twitter.
Latest articles by Jeff Foust
Boundary of Space Being Reconsidered as Virgin Galactic Test Program Advances
By Jeff Foust last updated
As Virgin Galactic gets closer to its first suborbital flights into space, a potential change in terminology could make it easier for the company to achieve that milestone.
India Tests Anti-Satellite Weapon
By Jeff Foust last updated
The Indian government announced March 27 it successfully fired a ground-based anti-satellite weapon against a satellite in low Earth orbit.
ARCA Space Will Launch Test Flights from Spaceport America
By Jeff Foust last updated
A former Ansari X Prize competitor plans to carry out tests of high-altitude drones and suborbital rockets at New Mexico’s Spaceport America.
Senator Seeks Assurances on JWST and WFIRST Funding
By Jeff Foust last updated
As Congress works to finalize a fiscal year 2019 spending bill for NASA, a senator is asking colleagues to secure the future of two of NASA's largest astrophysics missions.
NASA's WFIRST Space Telescope Faces Funding Crunch
By Jeff Foust last updated
A NASA astrophysics mission that avoided cancellation last year could still face budget problems if it evades another termination threat this year, agency officials warned this week.
Vector Replaces CEO Amid Reports of Financial Problems
By Jeff Foust published
Small launch vehicle company Vector has replaced its founding chief executive and disclosed that financial difficulties have forced the company to suspend its operations.
Report Outlines SpaceX's Plans for Starship Launches from NASA's Kennedy Space Center
By Jeff Foust published
SpaceX plans to build facilities at the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39A for launches and, eventually, landings of its next-generation launch vehicle, according to a newly released report.
NASA Seeks 'Industrialization' of Low Earth Orbit with ISS Commercialization Strategy
By Jeff Foust published
Jim Bridenstine says he believes the agency's new strategy for increasing commercial use of the International Space Station will lead to an "industrialization" of low Earth orbit.
GOES-17 Instrument Problem Blamed on Blocked Heat Pipe
By Jeff Foust published
A report released Aug. 1 concluded that a problem with an instrument on the GOES-17 weather satellite is likely caused by some kind of blockage in a system used to cool the instrument.
OneWeb Satellites Inaugurate Florida Factory
By Jeff Foust published
OneWeb Satellites, the joint venture of Airbus and OneWeb, formally opened its Florida factory that will soon be producing satellites for OneWeb’s constellation at the rate of two per day.
NASA Outlines Plans for Lunar Lander Development Through Commercial Partnerships
By Jeff Foust published
As NASA celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first crewed landing on the moon, the agency released new details about how it will procure landers to enable humans to return to the moon in the 2020s.
NASA Taps Northrop Grumman to Build Lunar Gateway Habitation Module
By Jeff Foust published
NASA has quietly decided to give Northrop Grumman a contract to build a “minimal” habitation module for its lunar Gateway.
SpaceX Says Faulty Valve Led to Crew Dragon Test Accident
By Jeff Foust published
The April 20 explosion of SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft was caused by a leaky component and faulty valve, the company says.
NASA Chief Says Leadership Changes Linked to Urgency in Exploration Programs
By Jeff Foust published
NASA chief Jim Bridenstine said he needed to move quickly to change leadership of NASA's exploration programs to address cost and schedule issues and keep a 2024 human lunar landing on track.
Firefly to Partner with Israel Aerospace Industries on Moon Lander
By Jeff Foust published
Firefly Aerospace announced July 9 it plans to work with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), the manufacturer of the Beresheet lunar lander, to develop its own lunar landers for NASA.
Virgin Galactic to Go Public, Merge with Investment Company
By Jeff Foust published
Virgin Galactic announced it had reached an agreement to merge with a public investment vehicle, raising several hundred million dollars of capital and allowing the company to become publicly traded.
German Lunar Lander Company Files for Bankruptcy Protection
By Jeff Foust published
A German company that is developing a lunar lander has filed for insolvency, citing a shortfall in funding, but vows to continue development of its spacecraft.
SpaceX Wins Contract to Launch NASA Small Astrophysics Mission
By Jeff Foust published
NASA awarded a launch contract to SpaceX July 8 for the launch of a small astrophysics mission as the company offered a Falcon 9 at a lower price than a much smaller rocket.
Report Makes Case for Space-based Asteroid Tracking Telescope
By Jeff Foust published
A report last month has buoyed the efforts of scientists seeking a dedicated mission to search for near Earth objects, although NASA has yet to commit to funding that mission.
DSCOVR Spacecraft in Safe Mode
By Jeff Foust published
A joint NASA/NOAA spacecraft that monitors space weather and provides imagery of Earth has been offline for more than a week because of a problem with its positioning system.
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