January 16, 2017 - No. 005 In This Issue Japanese mini-rocket launch fails SpiceJet Unveils Deal for 205 Boeing Aircraft Inholland University Aviation Students Use the Ultimaker 2+ to Perfect 3D Printed Rockets SpaceX Deploys Airplane Trackers in 'Delicate Choreography' Embraer Delivers 108 Commercial Jets and 117 Executive Jets in 2016 KLM UK Engineering Signs Virtual Learning Environment Contract for Part 66 Exams SpaceX Launches Rocket, Its First Since Explosion on Launchpad Japanese mini-rocket launch fails (CNN)Japan's attempt to launch one of the smallest-ever rockets into space has ended in failure. The 9.5-meter (32-foot) rocket lifted off around 8:30 a.m. local time Sunday from the Uchinoura Space Center in southwestern Japan, according to state broadcaster NHK. The rocket was carrying a micro-satellite that is 35 centimeters (13 inches) tall and weighs 3 kg (6.6 lbs.). However, according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), communication systems malfunctioned after the rocket launched, causing the ignition of the second booster to be terminated. The rocket fell into the sea southeast of Uchinoura. The launch, which was delayed from earlier this week because of weather, was supposed to be a proof of concept for Japan's micro-satellite and mini-rocket technology, which JAXA hopes to commercialize as private companies seek cheaper options that are easier to put into orbit. "Several Japanese firms joined this rocket project," JAXA public relations officer Takayuki Tomobe told CNN prior to the launch, adding that the agency also hopes to share test results with other private entities in future. "This is still a small step and we expect more impediments, but once the launch succeeds, we see a potential for making the rocket launch cheaper and shorter in project time," Tomobe said. JAXA's aborted launch was in stark contrast to Space X's attempt this weekend. The private space exploration company successfully sent a Falcon 9 rocket into space with 10 satellites on board. The launch's success Saturday was made even sweeter by a smooth return landing for the Falcon 9 rocket's first-stage booster. It safely returned from space and glided to a landing on a seafaring platform, known as a drone ship. http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/14/asia/japan-mini-rocket-launch/ Back to Top SpiceJet Unveils Deal for 205 Boeing Aircraft SpiceJet has unveiled a commitment with Boeing for up to 205 aircraft. Booked at the end of 2016, the deal includes 100 new Boeing 737 MAX 8s, SpiceJet's current order for 42 MAXs, 13 additional 737 MAXs, as well as purchase rights for 50 additional airplanes. "The Boeing 737 class of aircraft has been the backbone of our fleet since SpiceJet began, with its high reliability, low operation economies and comfort," said Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, SpiceJet. "With the next generation of 737 and the 737 MAX we are sure that we can be competitive and grow profitably." SpiceJet, all-Boeing jet operator, placed its first order with Boeing in 2005 for Next- Generation B737s and currently operates 32 B737 in its fleet. "We are honored to build upon more than a decade of partnership with SpiceJet with their commitment of up to 205 airplanes," said Ray Conner, Vice Chairman, The Boeing Company. "The economics of the 737 MAXs will allow SpiceJet to profitably open new markets, expand connectively within India and beyond, and offer their customers a superior passenger experience." The 737 MAX incorporates the latest technology CFM International LEAP-1B engines, Advanced Technology winglets and other improvements to deliver the highest efficiency, reliability and passenger comfort in the single-aisle market. The new airplane will deliver 20% lower fuel use than the first Next-Generation 737s. http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news17/161-SpiceJet.shtml Back to Top Inholland University Aviation Students Use the Ultimaker 2+ to Perfect 3D Printed Rockets 3D printing offers a wide range of benefits, from the production of lightweight and quality parts to speed, affordability, and the opportunity to work in a self-sustained fashion, often cutting out the middleman. While most of these benefits also apply to design projects being produced in schools, the technology-now available in many learning institutions at all levels-also teaches students about advanced and alternative manufacturing, providing them with progressive skill sets that are projected to be in high demand in the future. At Inholland University in the Netherlands, aviation technology students recently made a functional 3D printed rocket in class. In this project they learned about all the details that must be considered for end-use parts required for such a lightweight rocket-from aerodynamics to weight and strength. The first two rockets the students built were fully functional, measuring eight feet tall. They were not completely 3D printed, however, constructed also with composite carbon fiber parts. The class is now working on a new rocket that is made of all 3D printed parts, and this involves making some adjustments in their design process so that 3D printing is considered at the time parts are being conceptualized and designed. The Ultimaker 2+ is the 3D printer of choice at Inholland, producing the lightweight parts required. The students learned about speed in turnaround times in comparison to traditional manufacturing-along with seeing how quickly they could re-design and improve parts when necessary without incurring great expense. "We use 3D printing primarily in the design process," says Martin Kampinga, aviation technology teacher at Inholland. "We design a model on the PC and print it out to continue working on it." "We're an applied sciences study, so everything we teach we try to apply in practice as well," continued Kampinga. "Students primarily learn about strength calculations, aerodynamics, everything that has something to do with airplanes." The second rocket, Aquilo II, was successfully launched by the class, returning to them by parachute. It's beneficial in any environment to be able to produce objects at an accelerated rate, but especially in the classroom as users are only there for a limited time each week. "I think every university should use this in their curriculum," says Kampinga. "University is where it happens." "Students that are graduating 4 years from now will see that technologies have changed in the course of their studies. Educational institutions should provide students with the latest knowledge and developments and show them that alternative production methods like 3D printing exist." If you are interested in creating a similar lesson plan in your own classroom, see more information on that from Ultimaker here. You can also find out more about using 3D printing at the university level here. https://3dprint.com/161860/inholland-university-3dp-rockets/ Back to Top SpaceX Deploys Airplane Trackers in 'Delicate Choreography' MCLEAN, VIRGINIA - A million emotions were going through Matt Desch. He felt as if he were awaiting the arrival of a child. He was actually "birthing" 10 of his company's communication satellites into orbit, part of an eventual replacement of 66 satellites. "One of the most complicated technical feats in the aerospace industry," he said. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carried the 10 Iridium satellites aloft Saturday. When the rocket was halfway around Earth and in the proper orbit, it sent Desch's "babies" off one by one, every 90 seconds, into space. They were to unfold their solar panels and reorient themselves with the stars and the horizon. Desch said the 850-kilogram satellites, the size of a Mini Cooper, would start looking for antennas and begin communicating with Iridium's ground station in Norway, which will transmit the data to Virginia. And eventually, the payload on board the satellites could revolutionize how airplanes fly. 'Landmark moment' "Today, Iridium launches a new era in the history of our company and a new era in space as we start to deliver the next generation of satellite communications," Desch said. "We have been working endless hours for the last eight years to get to this day." He called the successful launch of the satellites into low-Earth orbit "a fulfilling moment." "Today is a landmark moment in history for global air traffic surveillance, air traffic safety and the aviation industry as a whole," said Don Thoma, CEO of Aireon, the company that developed the system inside the payload. "This successful first launch brings us one step closer to changing the way the world flies by enabling the ability to track aircraft anywhere on the planet." Over the next three months, the engineers will position the new satellites and perform a delicate choreography in a slot swap with the old satellites. The satellites travel at 27,000 kph. Each replacement must be completed while the satellites are moving, without any noticeable disruption to service. Sometime in 2018, all 66 satellites will have been exchanged for new, technologically improved versions. No more 'black zones' Currently, 70 percent of the world's airspace is without real-time surveillance because of rough terrain, deserts or vast oceans. The technology on the new satellites makes airplanes trackable over the entire Earth, including those black zones. No one can currently pinpoint a plane in those areas - even on a flight over the Atlantic from the United States to Europe - except the pilot and the passengers. "You look at the screen on the back of the seat and you see the map and you recognize where you are. But air traffic control [only] knows roughly where you are," Thoma said. The new technology is aimed at eliminating incidents like the aftermath of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370. The plane disappeared over the ocean nearly three years ago while flying from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Beijing, China. The body of the plane and the remains of the 239 people on board have not been found, despite an extensive underwater search of the Indian Ocean. Only a piece of debris was discovered off Reunion Island. Prior to that in 2009, Air France 447 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean while flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. The flight recorders were not recovered until two years later. The more recent mystery surrounding MH370 prompted the industry to re-examine airplane tracking standards. National and international aviation agencies have implemented rules and recommendations to make real-time tracking possible. Currently, U.S. pilots report their positions every 15 minutes. Internationally, pilots will be required to do that by the end of next year. A new rule, eased in by 2021 by the United Nations' International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), makes it mandatory for planes under distress to transmit a location report every minute. Automatic signaling Airplanes will do this through a surveillance technology called automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B.) The ADS-B will transmit the plane's coordinates every minute to a receiver, like Aireon's system in the sky. The ADS-B equipment is not mandatory in all planes until 2020, two years after the receivers are operational. VOA asked about the delay during a media conference call with Federal Aviation Administrator Michael Huerta. He said the cost-benefit ratio was not justifiable, since the tracking system would benefit only "a small number of flights." But Aireon says the system affects thousands of flights daily and the industry as a whole, since airlines will be able to create more direct routes without avoiding traditional dead zones. Passengers will benefit from more efficient and more frequent flights. CEO Thoma says airlines will save millions of dollars in fuel costs, and the reduced fuel burn will cut carbon emissions, thus contributing less to global warming. Some new planes already are equipped with the technology and are awaiting 2018, when Iridium satellites begin their tracking. The Iridium satellite constellation is not the only group poised to implement the technology. Marco Caceres, a senior space analyst at the Fairfax Teal Group, an aerospace and defense firm, says Global Star also offers a lower-orbit satellite system, but Iridium's system is larger and will be the first of its size to be operational. "It may be that Iridium may be able to be the one of the early pioneers of this, but this is going to be the wave of the future for other satellite systems as well," Caceres said. http://www.voanews.com/a/spacex-deploy-airplane-trackers-delicate- choreography/3675739.html Back to Top Embraer Delivers 108 Commercial Jets and 117 Executive Jets in 2016 São José dos Campos, Brazil, January 13, 2017 - Embraer (NYSE: ERJ; BM & FBOVESPA: EMBR3) delivered 32 commercial and 43 executive jets, 25 of which are light jets and 18 are large, during the fourth quarter of 2016 (4Q16). The Company ended the year with 108 aircraft delivered to the commercial aviation market and 117 to the executive aviation market, totaling 73 light and 44 large executive jets. These numbers are aligned with the estimates reported to the market throughout the year (105 to 110 commercial jets, 70 to 80 light executive jets and 35 to 45 large executive jets). The total of 225 aircraft for these two markets represents the highest volume of deliveries in the last six years. As of December 31, the backlog totaled USD 19.6 billion. "2016 was a year of major challenges in the aviation industry due to global economic and political uncertainties. In response to this scenario, Embraer is implementing important actions and making adjustments to be well positioned in all business segments it operates," says Embraer President & CEO, Paulo Cesar de Souza e Silva. "In executive aviation, for example, we now have a stronger presence with larger executive jets, which indicates a more balanced mix." In Commercial Aviation, the highlights of the last quarter of 2016 included the delivery of the 1,300th E-Jet to China's Tianjin Airlines and the beginning of E170 operations in Russia with S7 Airlines, which signed an agreement with GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) to lease 17 pre-owned E170 jets. Another highlight was the signing of a contract with United Airlines for the firm sale of 24 E175 jets, transferring aircraft that were previously assigned to Republic Airways Holdings in Embraer's backlog. The spare parts pool program also continues to grow. In the last quarter, Eastern Airways, from the United Kingdom, and Airlink, the largest independent regional airline in South Africa, signed contracts for the program. In Executive Aviation, Airsprint, the privately held fractional aircraft ownership company based in Canada, received the first two Legacy 450 jets of the purchase agreement for up to 12 jets of the same model, announced in July. In the Defense & Security business, Embraer achieved another important milestone in November with the development of the KC-390 multi-mission military airlifter. The company received the Provisional Type Certificate for the KC-390 Basic Vehicle, issued by the Industrial Fostering and Coordination Institute (IFI-Instituto de Fomento e Coordenação Industrial), the Brazilian Air Force organization responsible for military certification. It attests that the KC-390, in this basic configuration, complies with the certification requirements. Also in November, Embraer opened the Gripen Design and Development Network (GDDN) in partnership with Saab, the Swedish defense and security company, in Gavião Peixoto, state of São Paulo. The GDDN will be the hub for the Gripen NG fighter technology development in Brazil with other institutional and business partners. http://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/12294610/embraer-reaches-targets-with- delivery-of-108-commercial-jets-and-117-executive-jets-in-2016 Back to Top KLM UK Engineering Signs Virtual Learning Environment Contract for Part 66 Exams Paris, Amstelveen, Norwich - 13 January 2017 - KLM UK Engineering is delighted to announce the signing of a long term partnership with Kris Sakti Aviation (Malaysia) for the provision of EASA Part 147 exams supported by KLM UK Engineering's Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) software. Under the agreement, KLM UK Engineering (KLM UKE) will support Kris Sakti Aviation by providing experienced examiners to accompany its VLE product, allowing the students to gain their EASA Part 66 B Licence, while helping them to grow as a centre of excellence for the next generation of engineers. With over 220 students graduating each year, the programme is equipping the aviation industry with skilled, qualified and competent engineers for the next generation. In Kuala Lumpur, Dato' Sri Mahmud Taib, the chairman of KS Holdings and KS Angkasamudra said: "Aviation engineers are highly trained professionals and with the support of KLM UKE we will provide training and develop individuals to become knowledgeable, skilled and competent. This mutually beneficial collaboration and smart partnership with KLM UKE utilizing their VLE products will enable the trainees to be fast tracked and obtain their EASA part 66 B licences, while helping to grow the next generation of aircraft maintenance engineers which is urgently required in the aviation industry." Whilst Peter Van Der Horst, Managing Director of KLM UKE added: "The partnership with KS Angkasamudra is a huge step forward in our aim to connect KLM UKE's VLE products to many young engineers in the UK and abroad. The industry needs many good engineers for the future to accommodate the growing worldwide fleet and to replace inevitable retirements. KLM UKE wants to leverage its knowledge and experience and connect many more universities and aviation academies to its growing educational centre. This centre will be located within the International Aviation Academy in Norwich from April 2017." About KS Angkasamudra Aviation Academy. The Kris Sakti Group is involved in a wide spectrum of activities ranging from Aviation, Petroleum, Agriculture and Trading. As its contribution towards realising the aspiration of "Nation building through Aviation and Maritime", the KS group has embarked into human capital skills and competencies development with its own foray into education and training with professional certification, initially through the setting up of KS Angkasamudra Aviation Academy whereby the Aviation Technical Vocational Education Training (TVET) is being organised to fill the specific gaps in the professional certification programs. Its vision is to help meet the training and educational needs of the growing international aviation industry, focused on human capital development of Licensed Aircraft Maintenance Engineers in its professional certification programs for the domestic and regional aviation industries. In complementing its certified aircraft maintenance licence programs at KS Angkasamudra Aviation Academy to be located in Subang, it will also conduct specialised aircraft maintenance skills and management courses with hands-on experimental industrial-type training and apprenticeship. The KLM UKE's VLE products thus will support and enhance KSAS's total learning and training environment for the trainees, building skills and competency while leading towards international professional certification for a licensed aircraft maintenance career. http://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/12294608/klm-uk-engineering-signs-virtual- learning-environment-contract-for-part-66-exams Back to Top SpaceX Launches Rocket, Its First Since Explosion on Launchpad VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - A Falcon 9 rocket roared into the sky on Saturday carrying 10 communications satellites - a return by SpaceX and its billionaire leader, Elon Musk, to the business of launching satellites to orbit. But financial details disclosed this past week about the company overshadowed the successful liftoff, raising questions about the viability of Mr. Musk's long-range plans for SpaceX and his vision of sending people to Mars. SpaceX, based in Hawthorne, Calif., has been set back since September, when a different Falcon 9 caught fire and exploded on a launchpad in Florida, destroying the rocket and its payload, a $200 million Israeli satellite that Facebook had planned to lease to expand global internet services. The company's rockets had been grounded since then. An internal investigation concluded that a failure of a helium vessel in the second stage liquid oxygen tank had led to the conflagration. The Federal Aviation Administration, which regulates commercial space launches, accepted SpaceX's report on the explosion's causes on Jan. 6 and issued a launch license, clearing the way for Saturday's liftoff here, on the other side of the country. To prevent a recurrence, SpaceX adjusted its fueling procedures to avoid overcooling of the helium. Saturday's countdown proceeded smoothly, with the liftoff occurring within a one-second window that would send the rocket on a trajectory to line up with the orbit of a group of current Iridium Communications satellites. The new satellites are more powerful than the original ones, which have been in orbit nearly two decades and have outlived their designed lifetimes. SpaceX also repeated its feat of recovering the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket, landing it on a floating platform named "Just Read the Instructions" in the Pacific. Less than 90 minutes later, mission control received confirmation that all 10 satellites had been successfully deployed. Over the next 14 months, the company plans six additional Falcon 9 launches to deploy 60 more Iridium satellites that will completely replace the constellation. In the short-term, the successful launch helps put SpaceX back on track. The explosion and subsequent four-month grounding created a backlog of launches, including cargo missions for NASA to the International Space Station. September's explosion was SpaceX's second failure in 15 months; a Falcon 9 rocket carrying NASA cargo disintegrated in flight in June 2015. On Friday, The Wall Street Journal reported that SpaceX had lost $260 million in 2015 after the earlier accident, and revenue dropped 6 percent to $945 million. In earlier years, SpaceX officials including Mr. Musk described the company as consistently profitable; that claim has been removed from SpaceX's website. Company officials did not dispute the numbers reported in The Wall Street Journal article, but portrayed a rosy future. "Since 2002, we have been at the forefront of revolutionizing space technology, with a solid track record of success, strong customer relationships and more than 70 future launches on our manifest, representing over $10 billion in contracts," Bret Johnsen, SpaceX's chief financial officer, said in a statement. "Furthermore, with over $1 billion in cash reserves and no debt, the company is in a financially strong position and is well positioned for future growth." SpaceX hopes to launch its larger Falcon Heavy this spring. The Heavy, years behind schedule, would become the world's most powerful rocket since NASA retired the Saturn 5 more than 40 years ago. SpaceX also plans to refly one of its recovered boosters this spring. By reusing instead of throwing away rocket boosters, SpaceX hopes to significantly reduce the cost of launches. Also on the schedule is an in-flight abort test of SpaceX's Dragon 2 capsule, a crucial safety prerequisite that it must conduct before the company can begin ferrying NASA astronauts to the space station next year. By applying Silicon Valley entrepreneurial practices to aerospace, SpaceX has undercut prices and disrupted the rocket launch business. That brought in many customers like Iridium, which is paying more than $450 million for the seven launches. The next-lowest bid from one of SpaceX's competitors was $1.2 billion, said Matthew J. Desch, Iridium's chief executive. Without SpaceX's lower costs, Iridium could not have afforded to replace its group of satellites, Mr. Desch said. "The Falcon 9 is perfect for what we want to do," he said. But the lower costs make it difficult to see how SpaceX could earn enough profit to finance its grand ambitions. In September, Mr. Musk unveiled his vision for what he called the Interplanetary Transport System - a gigantic rocket with 42 engines that could take 100 passengers to Mars as early as 2024. SpaceX has described plans to offer satellite internet services with more than 4,000 satellites. The forecasts described by The Wall Street Journal, which were produced in early 2016, show how much the company is depending on this new business. SpaceX projected that current rocket launching business would quintuple in revenue, to $5 billion, in 2025. Satellite internet services, still in the early planning stages, were projected to bring in more than $30 billion in revenue and generate the bulk of more than $20 billion in profit for the company. During the September announcement, Mr. Musk spoke of "a huge public-private partnership" to get to Mars, but did not describe what kind of partnership he foresaw. The incoming Trump administration has not outlined in detail its plans for NASA, although some of the president-elect's advisers, including Newt Gingrich, are pushing for a greater reliance on commercial companies like SpaceX. Other Republicans, however, have been strong defenders of the Space Launch System, the big, expensive rocket that NASA is developing for a Mars mission. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/14/science/spacex-falcon-9-iridium-elon- musk.html?_r=0 Curt Lewis