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.
After a delay of several months, the European Space Agency's enormous Envisat-1 satellite has now been mated to its Ariane 5 rocket and is in final preparations for launch the evening of Feb. 28. Requiring more than 10 years of development by nearly 100 companies in 14 European countries, the 18,700-pound Envisat-1 is the largest environmental satellite ever built, according to ESA. The spacecraft stands nearly 30 feet tall and has a wingspan of 75 feet with its solar arrays deployed.
Despite the cancellation of the Fire Scout ship-based rotorwing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the Marine Corps remains committed to developing a ship-launched UAV, according to Lt. Gen. Emil R. Bedard, deputy commandant for plans, policies, and operations. "The requirements for a higher-end tactical UAV for the Marine Corps is certainly one that is there, and we will continue to work [toward] it," Bedard said at a defense reporters breakfast in Washington Feb. 26.
The Feb. 23 Arianespace launch of the Intelsat 904 communications satellite atop an Ariane 4 rocket marks the 20th Arianespace launch for Intelsat, Arianespace's first and largest customer. Liftoff took place at 6:59 a.m. GMT (3:59 a.m. local time) from Arianespace's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. The launch was delayed from Feb. 20, to allow more time for checks of the vehicle.
