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.
Space Communication Corp. (SCC) of Japan and Boeing are investigating a fuel tank problem onboard SSC's Superbird-6 satellite that has "significantly shortened" its mission life, according to the company. SCC discovered the problem Nov. 28 when Superbird-6 experienced an attitude error that has been blamed on insufficient pressure in one of its fuel tanks.
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has finally driven out of Endurance Crater in Mars' Meridiani Planum region, after spending roughly six months there studying rocks for clues to the history of water in the area.
The U.S. Air Force is determining a new launch date for the first flight of Boeing's Delta IV Heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla., following several launch postponements over the weekend of Dec. 10. A Dec. 10 launch attempt was scrubbed due to bad weather. On Dec. 11, the launch team postponed the flight again because of high winds and a problem involving the system that automates the final seconds of the countdown.
