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.
PARIS — The European Commission has awarded SES Astra a contract to host a second payload for Europe’s Egnos Global Positioning System augmentation service. Astra’s European rival, Eutelsat, also is believed to have bid for the award.
ENGAGE!: The short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing F-35B engaged its lift system in flight for the first time on Jan. 7 during a test sortie from Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. Test pilot Graham Tomlinson engaged the shaft-driven lift fan at 5,000 feet and 210 knots, slowed to 180 knots, then accelerated to 210 knots and converted back to conventional-flight mode. The Stovl propulsion system was engaged for 14 minutes. On subsequent flights the aircraft will fly progressively slower, hover and eventually land vertically.
Congress has extended government indemnification of commercial launches for three more years. The unanimous vote by senators as they worked toward passage of the health-care-reform measure on Christmas Eve makes government help available for U.S. commercial launch service providers hit by third-party liability claims growing out of mishaps on missions licensed by the FAA. The program was set to expire on Dec. 31. The measure requires no funding unless there is an accident triggering claims, and then only with additional congressional authorization.
