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.
ELV will develop new guidance and control software for Europe’s Vega launcher, following French armaments agency DGA’s decision to embargo the original software because of its potential use in ballistic missiles. The rocket is slated to perform its inaugural flight in early 2011, carrying the Lares scientific satellite. The first missions will use the older software, developed by EADS Astrium, but it will be replaced on later vehicles.
The first Global Positioning System IIF satellite is in its final phase of in-orbit checkout following its arrival on station Aug. 1. Orbital testing should be completed by September, when the satellite will be cleared to serve as part of the operational constellation. Launched in May, the Boeing-built satellite features a new civil safety-of-life signal, known as L5.
Scientists have discovered a so-called Trojan asteroid in the L5 Lagrangian point at Neptune, where the gravitational tug between the gas giant and the Sun cancel each other out, allowing smaller bodies to remain stable. Sharing a planet’s orbit, Trojan asteroids give astronomers insight into how the planet and the Solar System formed. Other Trojans have been discovered at other Lagrangian points near Neptune and Jupiter.
