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 Boeing/Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency X-37B unmanned winged Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) is in advanced development, and is being aimed for a first launch from Cape Canaveral in early 2008 on board a Lockheed Martin Atlas V. The spacecraft, about one-fourth the size of a shuttle orbiter, will give the U.S. Air Force a reusable vehicle equipped with a payload bay from which to deploy small spacecraft and recover small payloads tested in space. The Air Force's Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO) will acquire, test and demonstrate the OTV.
India is beginning to define its first Mars orbiter for launch as early as 2013 on its geosynchronous space launch vehicle. The small spacecraft, costing only about $70 million excluding the booster, would carry instruments to research the Martian atmosphere and subsurface, possibly including a radar. The mission's main significance at this point is probably India's intent to do it, rather than its explicit scientific goals. With this project, India joins China in defining new Mars exploration for Asia (AW&ST Nov. 27, p. 53). "Mars is emerging on our horizon.
Canadian satellite communications startup Ciel has filed nine applications for new orbital positions across several frequencies. The company submitted the applications in response to the largest call for proposals ever issued by the Canadian government. Ciel already has a slot at 129 deg. W. Long., where it plans to deploy its first dedicated spacecraft, Ciel-2, in late 2008.
