Vivienne Machi is the military space editor for Aviation Week. She has written about U.S. and international military and space tech for nearly a decade from Los Angeles, Washington and Stuttgart, Germany. Her byline has appeared in outlets including Defense News, Via Satellite, Foreign Policy, Defense Daily, National Defense Magazine and Business Insider.
When ESA meets in Bremen this week for its annual ministerial, decisions about government support for sovereign launch activities will draw intense interest.
The companies putting money on the line to stand up Europe’s future sovereign satellite communications constellation are determined to keep the nascent program on schedule.