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.
Decisions on bankruptcy proceedings involving two U.S. commercial satellite operators could determine the course of action Solaris Mobile will pursue to meet European Commission requirements for establishing S-band mobile satellite service in Europe. Solaris Mobile, a joint venture of Eutelsat and SES Astra, was selected in May, along with Inmarsat, to supply the service. Initially, this was to be done using an S-band payload on Eutelsat’s W2A spacecraft, but this payload suffered an antenna anomaly following its Apr. 3 launch.
Thales Alenia Space and EADS Astrium expect to submit the first commercial bids for their Alphabus 12-18-kw., 6-8-metric-ton large telecom satellite by the first or second quarter of next year, and to have an initial order by mid-to-late 2010, according to Thales Alenia officials. Backed by funding from the European Space Agency and French space agency CNES, Alphabus is aimed at helping the European satellite makers compete with top-of-the-line U.S. telecom satellites like Boeing’s 702 and the Space Systems/Loral FS1300, which can serve requirements up to 20 kw.
An astronaut, a cosmonaut and a circus clown returned to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS) early Oct. 11, capping a standard ISS tour for the two spaceflight professionals and what may be the last space tourist flight for awhile. Canadian Guy Laliberte, the billionaire founder of Cirque du Soleil, joined Russia’s Gennady Padalka, outgoing commander of ISS Expedition 20, and Expedition 20 flight engineer Michael Barratt of NASA in the landing on the steppe of Kazakhstan. Their Soyuz TMA‑14 touched down at 12:32 a.m. EDT, after a nominal return from the ISS.
