June 29, 2017 - No. 052 In This Issue American Airlines partners with Analogic to bolster aviation security Blockchain set to disrupt aviation within 2 years claims Accenture QCC signs airline mechanics agreement General Electric Builds an AI Workforce ATP Announces Partnership With Continental Motors Enabling Maintenance Providers to Streamline Beechcraft's T-6C Texan II military trainer achieves EASA certification How Iran Is Transforming Its Aviation Industry With Multi-Billion Dollar Orders For Hundreds Of Jets MTU Maintenance Canada and Volaris Sign Exclusive Engine Accessories Contract SpaceX targeting Sunday Falcon 9 launch from KSC for its third mission in nine days Solar Impulse CEO says this can make air transport cheaper, cleaner, quieter and safer American Airlines partners with Analogic to bolster aviation security FORT WORTH, TX June 27, 2017 American Airlines (NASDAQ:AAL) and Analogic Corporation (NASDAQ:ALOG) have announced a joint partnership that will greatly expand the use of Computed tomography (CT) technology at airports worldwide. State-of-the-art CT checkpoint technology that successfully completes the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) certification and qualification process is expected to provide an enhanced level of detection for aviation security officials. This technology provides officials with scanning equipment that more clearly identifies potential threat items, including those concealed within personal electronic devices (PEDs). As part of this partnership, American Airlines will purchase multiple units of the Analogic ConneCT aviation checkpoint security screening system, making it the official launch customer of ConneCT, a breakthrough in checkpoint security scanning technology. ConneCT is designed to enhance aviation security and increase passenger throughput using an upgradeable CT platform. "At American, we are always looking at ways to invest in technology that enhances global aviation security while improving the customer experience," said Kerry Philipovitch, American Airlines Senior Vice President - Customer Experience. "We believe strongly in risk-based, intelligence-driven security protocols, which enable the aviation industry to identify, manage and mitigate risk. Our partnerships with the TSA and Analogic will transform aviation security by bringing state-of-the-art CT technology to the security checkpoint." "After a careful evaluation, American Airlines chose Analogic as its preferred supplier of Checkpoint CT based on several factors including image quality, airport-friendly design and ease of operation," said Jim Ryan, Analogic senior vice president, security systems. "ConneCT is a culmination of ten years of checkpoint CT research and development and is positioned to be the innovative leader in the aviation security marketplace." With features including an open network architecture, industry-leading 3-D imaging technology, and automated threat detection, ConneCT represents a transformative advancement in the security industry, comparable to the advent of the smartphone in the telecom industry. This technology also enables airports and regulators to respond to changing security and operational requirements. On June 15, the TSA, working collaboratively with American Airlines, began demonstrating CT technology in a checkpoint lane of Terminal 4 at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX). This was the first time ever that CT technology was deployed to screen carry-on bags. 3-D CT technology could make it possible to allow passengers to leave liquids, gels and aerosols, as well as laptops, in their carry-on bags at all times. This results in a quicker throughput and less bin use. According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), CT technology is one way the aviation community, including foreign airports, can "raise the bar for aviation security globally." The ConneCT screening system is currently undergoing certification testing with the TSA and when completed, will be installed at a checkpoint lane as part of a TSA Innovation Task Force initiative. The ConneCT has also entered European Civil Aviation Conference certification protocol in Europe. Analogic continues to work closely with international certification agencies and airports to bring the ConneCT system to the global market later this year. About American Airlines Group American Airlines and American Eagle offer an average of nearly 6,700 flights per day to nearly 350 destinations in more than 50 countries. American has hubs in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and Washington, D.C. American is a founding member of the oneworld® alliance, whose members serve more than 1,000 destinations with about 14,250 daily flights to over 150 countries. Shares of American Airlines Group Inc. trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol AAL. In 2015, its stock joined the S&P 500 index. Connect with American on Twitter @AmericanAir and at Facebook.com/AmericanAirlines. About Analogic Analogic provides leading-edge healthcare and security technology solutions to advance the practice of medicine and save lives. We are recognized around the world for advanced imaging and real- time guidance technologies used for disease diagnosis and treatment as well as for automated threat detection. Our market-leading ultrasound systems, led by our flagship BK Ultrasound brand, used in procedure-driven markets such as urology, surgery, and point-of-care, are sold to clinical practitioners around the world. Our advanced imaging technologies are also used in computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and digital mammography systems, as well as automated threat detection systems for aviation security. Analogic is headquartered just north of Boston, Massachusetts. For more information, visit analogic.com. http://gsnmagazine.com/article/48580/american_airlines_partners_analogic_bolster_aviati Back to Top Blockchain set to disrupt aviation within 2 years claims Accenture Consultants in the aerospace industry are backing blockchain technology to drive down the huge cost of plane maintenance. Blockchain has been described as a single ledger that can record information from several different parties and then allows users to access a single record of information. "I really see this coming in, in a couple of years," said John Schmidt, head of Aerospace and Defense at Accenture, speaking at the Paris Air Show. Schmidt uses engine maintenance as an example of how airlines can avoid carrying out wasteful work. "Through all that life cycle of the engine, the original parts, the replacement parts and configuration are all being tracked, and it is being done by a number of different companies. "Blockchain is in effect a single federated ledger that everybody who uses and touches that engine could use it as a single point of truth of what has happened to the engine," he explained. Schmidt said that with blockchain data, engineers who may have never worked on the plane will know precisely the configuration, parts list, and usage data. Schmidt said maintenance crews currently only look at "macro factors" such as how long an engine has been in use "The reality is an engine has high-pressure and low-pressure usage and each of these may impact the true number of cycles the engine has achieved in its life," he added. The aviation consultant also noted there's currently a trend to contract busy engineering teams just because they have previously worked on the same engine. He said blockchain would provide a wealth of information that could allow a less busy maintenance team to get to work. "My inclination would be to use a shop that has already worked on the engine, but that shop may have a 30-day backlog. "With blockchain, you can look at what other options might be available," he said. Schmidt says work still needs to be done to convince airlines, plane manufacturers, and service contractors but Accenture is fully backing blockchain technology. "It is something we can see clearly in terms of the benefits and we effectively have a patent pending on how to leverage blockchain in the aftermarket." http://www.cnbc.com/2017/06/27/blockchain-set-to-disrupt-aviation-within-2-years-claims- accenture.html Back to Top QCC signs airline mechanics agreement Worcester area residents can become airplane mechanics through a new community college partnership in the works since 2012. Quinsigamond Community College has partnered with Cape Cod Community College to offer students the opportunity to earn an associate's degree and certifications in aviation maintenance, before taking certification exams through the Federal Aviation Administration. QCC students will be able to complete general education requirements locally for the first year, before entering the FAA-certified Aviation Maintenance Technology Program at CCCC. Discussions on a potential partnership between the two colleges began in 2012, according to a press release, as both schools looked for ways to respond to a shortage of local airplane mechanics. Back then, a U.S. Department of Labor grant allowed CCCC to begin exploring FAA requirements for an airline mechanics curriculum, while QCC, a coordinator of the grant, committed to further articulation to support the workforce at the Worcester Airport. Last year, CCCC-operated, phase one laboratory hangers opened at the Plymouth Airport -- the only such public higher education facility in the state. The schools are currently working with the private sector to provide housing options for students interested in local accommodations, according to the release. http://www.wbjournal.com/article/20170627/NEWS01/170629940 Back to Top General Electric Builds an AI Workforce When Jason Nichols joined GE Global Research in 2011, soon after completing postdoctoral work in organic chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, he anticipated a long career in chemical research. But after four years creating materials and systems to treat industrial wastewater, Nichols moved to the company's machine-learning lab. This year he began working with augmented reality. Part chemist, part data scientist, Nichols is now exactly the type of hybrid employee crucial to the future of a company working to inject artificial intelligence into its machines and industrial processes. Fifteen years ago, GE's machine operators and technicians monitored its aircraft engines, locomotives, and gas turbines by listening to their clanks and whirs and checking their gauges. Today, the company uses AI to do the equivalent, even predicting failures in advance. By marshaling this technology, GE hopes to become one of the world's top software providers by 2020, a quest that amped up in 2011 with a $1 billion initiative to collect and analyze sensor data from machines. Creating smarter models via AI is the next step in the company's strategy-one that it hopes will give it an advantage over longtime rivals like Siemens and software giants, such as IBM, that are now expanding into industrial analytics. Of course, integrating artificial intelligence into an organization founded in 1892 is a difficult task. It starts with training the technical brains behind the company, which employs 300,000 people across all its businesses worldwide. GE Global Research, where Jason Nichols works, is setting up online programs that teach machine learning and symposia where scientists can explore new roles. So far, nearly 400 employees from across the company have completed GE's certification program for data analytics, and about 50 scientists have moved into digital analytics jobs of the kind Nichols has taken on. DUAL CAREERS Many of these dual scientists help make cloud-hosted software models of GE's machines that can be used to save money and improve safety for its customers. GE builds these "digital twins" using information it gathers from sensors on the machines, supplemented with physics-based models, AI, data analytics, and knowledge from its scientists and engineers. Though digital twins are primarily lines of software code, the most elaborate versions look like 3-D computer-aided design drawings full of interactive charts, diagrams, and data points. They enable GE to track wear and tear on its aircraft engines, locomotives, gas turbines, and wind turbines using sensor data instead of assumptions or estimates, making it easier to predict when they will need maintenance. An aircraft engine flying over the U.S. could, for instance, have a digital twin on a GE computer server in California help determine the best service schedule for its parts. Besides forecasting a machine's life expectancy, the virtual models allow GE to optimize the operation of its products. GE says digital twins are increasing the amount of electricity wind farms produce by as much as 20 percent and reducing annual fuel consumption and carbon emissions for one of its locomotives by 32,000 gallons and 174,000 tons a year, respectively. More than 700,000 models have been delivered to clients, a number that could exceed one million by the end of this year. The technology depends on artificial intelligence to continually update itself. What's more, if data is corrupted or missing, the company fills in the gaps with the aid of machine learning, a type of AI that lets computers learn without being explicitly programmed, says Colin Parris, GE Global Research's vice president for software research. Parris says GE pairs computer vision with deep learning, a type of AI particularly adept at recognizing patterns, and reinforcement learning, another recent advance in AI that enables machines to optimize operations, to enable cameras to find minute cracks on metal turbine blades even when they are dirty and dusty. Take the tiny robot, a little bigger than a Matchbox car, used to inspect working engines. Using computer vision and a variety of AI techniques, the bot can look for cracks inside plane engines by riding on top of a slowly moving fan blade. Similar technology can be attached to a drone to find corrosion on the 200-foot-high flare stacks that burn off excess gas released at oil and gas production sites. NO FAD To develop and work with these systems, GE researchers need to understand both the physics of the machines and the AI algorithms. "This is a place where you will have a molecular biologist sitting with a machine-learning expert or a controls-theory person sitting with someone who knows about materials science," says Mark Grabb, GE Global Research's technology director for analytics. "That type of collaboration is very powerful, but there is nothing more powerful than having that same information in the same brain; it's just hyper-efficient." Consider the brain of Matt Nielsen, who joined GE Global Research in 1998 after earning a PhD in physics. Nielsen developed photonics and worked on electric-vehicle software before moving fully to the company's digital side in 2015. Today, he leads a team of digital twin developers and helps build physics-based models that can be combined with machine-learning algorithms. Sahika Genc, another dual scientist, developed systems for ICU alarms before transitioning to GE's machine-learning lab in 2014. Genc is now a machine-learning scientist who uses deep learning and reinforcement learning to make GE's energy management systems more efficient. One of her recent projects applied machine learning and heat transfer theory to identify how building energy is dissipated and stored. The forecasts will help GE customers reduce their energy consumption. These hybrid researchers could be GE's best shot at remaining relevant for another century as the company looks for growth opportunities in such competitive and mature industries as turbines, jet engines, and locomotives. Parris, the software research leader, admits that some of GE's 2,000 researchers still regard certain aspects of the new approach as a "passing fad." But scientists who don't make the leap may get left behind. In January, the company laid off researchers in areas deemed peripheral to GE's "digital industrial" strategy. That's after creating 100 new research jobs related to AI and robotics in 2016. https://www.technologyreview.com/s/607962/general-electric-builds-an-ai-workforce/ Back to Top ATP Announces Partnership With Continental Motors Enabling Maintenance Providers to Streamline Technical Information Management SAN FRANCISCO, CA - June 26, 2017 - Aircraft Technical Publishers (ATP) - the premier provider of information tools and services for the aviation industry - today announced a partnership with Continental Motors to leverage ATP's specialized tools and services to offer maintenance providers the industry's most advanced technical publication solution, which is available as a single source solution that can include airframe, engines, propeller and other components. With the partnership, the engine manufacturer's customers will safeguard the value of their aircraft, and maintenance providers will be able to dramatically boost productivity and streamline information management with the ATP Aviation Hub™ cloud application. The partnership enables maintenance professionals servicing Continental Motors engines to leverage all of the benefits of theATP Aviation Hub™ software as a service (SaaS) solution, which enables owner/operators and maintenance providers to seamlessly manage all of their end-to-end maintenance-related processes from a unified cloud platform. Maintenance professionals working on Continental Motors will also benefit from productivity and accessibility tools such as the ATP Aviation Hub Mobile App, which provides convenient online and offline access to mission critical maintenance, operating, and regulatory content, in addition to the company's "Profile and Compliance" tool, which ensures proper compliance tracking for Airworthiness Directives (ADs) and Service Bulletins (SBs). Under the partnership, Continental Motors will be able to leverage ATP's core competencies in advanced distribution, revision management, library and publication management, subscription management and customer service for maintenance and technical information. Subscribers will also be supported by ATP's world-class customer service center and the company's deep experience in aviation maintenance, operations and regulatory information. "ATP is a world-class service organization that uniquely possesses the expertise, technology and service infrastructure to support maintenance providers and owner/operators with their industry- leading cloud platform and full range of tools and services," said Bob Boggan, Vice President of Sales and Customer Service for Continental Motors. "The partnership with Continental Motors® enables maintenance providers to gain all of the benefits from their specialized knowhow and capabilities at the flip of a switch. It is part of Continental's focus on customer support and satisfaction all the way through the product life cycle." Continental Motors is a world leader in manufacturing advanced piston aircraft engines and avionics equipment with history of continuous operation that spans more than a century. The company's aircraft piston engine leadership stretches from the A-70 radial engine, which established a new level of smoothness and reliability, to the engines for the Voyager aircraft, which successfully circumnavigated the globe without refueling. A subsidiary of AVIC International Holding Corporation of Beijing, the company's global operations span from the U.S. - in Alabama and Florida - to Germany and China. "By leveraging ATP's information tools and services, maintenance professionals working on Continental Motors will be able to service the aircraft better, faster and more accurately in order to ensure optimal safety, reliability and availability," said Ted Haugner, Vice President of OEM sales for ATP. "This partnership enables Continental Motors to focus their efforts on their core competencies in manufacturing advanced engines while leveraging our core competencies in serving the specialized maintenance-related needs of maintenance professionals." http://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/12347328/atp-announces-partnership-with- continental-motors-enabling-maintenance-providers-to-streamline-technical-information- management Back to Top Beechcraft's T-6C Texan II military trainer achieves EASA certification The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has awarded basic certification to Beechcraft T-6C military trainer, marking a significant step towards delivery for the UK Ministry of Defence's military flying training system (UKMFTS) programme. Beechcraft Defense, a subsidiary of Textron Aviation, secured a contract from the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) in February last year to supply ten T-6C Texan II aircraft for the UKMFTS programme. The company will also provide support services, including engineering services, parts support, and maintenance training, while it will employ on-site field service representatives to provide ongoing technical expertise to the UKMFTS maintenance personnel. Textron Aviation Defense president Tom Hammoor said: "Achieving EASA certification for the T-6C supports the progression of our contract with UKMFTS, and additionally opens up opportunities to provide a proven military training platform to the European market. "This highly capable training platform, further enhanced with exceptional product support, equips our customers with a superior solution for a wide range of mission needs." Delivery under the contract will take place in the first quarter of next year. The new T-6C trainers will replace Shorts Tucano T1 aircraft of the British Royal Air Force (RAF) and join the fleet of Beechcraft King Air 350ER turboprops. An advanced version of the original T-6A, the T-6C military trainer features an upgraded cockpit that includes a head-up display (HUD), up-front control panel (UFCP), three-colour multi-function displays (MFD), and hands-on throttle and stick (HOTAS). Additionally, the aircraft has been designed to perform advanced synthetic air-to-air and air-to- ground weapons training. More than 20 countries around the world use T-6 aircraft to train pilots, navigators, and weapons systems operators. The UKMFTS Rear Crew Training programme currently employs King Air 350ER turboprops for synthetic radar training. http://www.airforce-technology.com/news/newsbeechcrafts-t-6c-texan-ii-military-trainer-achieves- easa-certification-5854558 Back to Top How Iran Is Transforming Its Aviation Industry With Multi-Billion Dollar Orders For Hundreds Of Jets In the space of 18 months, Iran has set about what amounts to a complete overhaul of its aviation sector. Since most international sanctions were lifted on the country in January 2016, its airlines have placed orders for more than 300 new aircraft and options for a further 50 planes. To put that in context, these orders are twice as large as the entire fleet of planes currently being flown by the country's 17 commercial airlines. Until sanctions were eased early last year, Iranian airlines had found it impossible to buy new aircraft or spare parts and they were often forced to cannibalize some planes to keep others in the air. Although they theoretically had a fleet of 250 planes, around 100 of them were sidelined, having broken down or been stripped for parts, meaning only 150 were taking off and landing on a regular basis. The main beneficiary from the spending spree to date has been Europe's Airbus, which has attracted a mix of firm orders and memorandums of understanding for 173 aircraft. Its chief rival Boeing has accrued orders and options for 140 planes, while the smaller European turboprop-maker ATR has attracted orders and options for 40 aircraft. The most active buyer has been Iran Air, the country's flag carrier. It has placed orders and options for 220 new planes from Airbus, Boeing and ATR, covering both wide and narrow-bodied jets as well as turboprops. Among the country's smaller carriers, Iran Aseman Airlines has lined up 30 new Boeing 737 Max 8 jets, with options for 30 more. Iran Airtour has signed a memorandum of understanding for 45 Airbus A320neo aircraft. And Zagros Airlines has signed a memorandum of understanding for 28 Airbus aircraft, including 20 of its A320neo model and eight of its larger A330neo. In total these orders add up to several tens of billions of dollars' worth of business. For example, the Iran Air order with Boeing - which covers 80 aircraft - is worth a total of $16bn at list prices. The deal with Iran Aseman Airlines is valued at $6bn, assuming options on all the aircraft are taken up. The first contracts were announced in February 2016, when Iran Air signed the deal for 40 ATR planes. There followed several months of talks and negotiations with potential suppliers and no further deals were announced until December of that year. Since then, though, there has been a flurry of new orders. Deals covering 180 aircraft were announced that month, followed by agreements for 60 more in April 2017 and a further 73 aircraft in June 2017. These aircraft orders remain controversial in some quarters and require approval from the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control to go ahead. To date, Boeing has yet to make any deliveries, but new planes from other manufacturers are already carrying paying passengers. The first of Iran Air's new Airbus A320s arrived in January and an A330 was delivered to Tehran's Mehrabad airport in March this year. In May, the first ATR 72-600 aircraft touched down in Iran; the rest of them will arrive before the end of 2018. Not everyone is winning though. Some other manufacturers have yet to announce any firm orders, including Canada's Bombardier, Brazil's Embraer, Japan's Mitsubishi and Russia's Sukhoi, with some deals mooted but then abandoned. However, with a dozen or so Iranian airlines yet to announce any new purchases, there is still the potential for these producers to win orders too. There is little doubt that the new planes are badly needed. Most of the aircraft in service with Iranian airlines are well over 20 years old, according to data from Airfleets.net. Safety concerns mean some airlines and aircraft are banned by international regulators. For example, Iran Aseman Airlines is barred from flying to or from the European Union while Iran Air is not allowed to fly there with its aging Boeing 747 plane, which will be 30 years old next year. The opening up of the Iran market also holds benefits for airlines from other countries. Around 40 new routes have opened up between Iran and destinations around the Gulf and in Europe and Asia since sanctions were lifted. Airbus says that from 2015 to 2016 the number of seats available on flights between Iran and both the UAE and Turkey - the two most important international routes - increased by 10%. There are now more than 3.5 million seats available between the UAE and Iran every year, and more than 2.5 million to and from Turkey. Growth in traffic between other destinations has been even more dramatic. There was a 65% increase in seat availability to and from Italy, a 68% increase with the UK and 109% with France. For passengers on those routes, opting to fly with an Iranian airline in the years to come will be an easier decision if they know it will be on a modern plane. https://www.forbes.com/sites/dominicdudley/2017/06/28/iran-transforming-aviation- industry/#5647218e3610 Back to Top MTU Maintenance Canada and Volaris Sign Exclusive Engine Accessories Contract Vancouver, June 28, 2017 - MTU Maintenance, one of the world's leading providers of services for commercial aero engines, and Mexican ultra-low-cost airline Volaris have signed an exclusive five- year contract for the management of the carrier's V2500 engine accessories. The agreement covers accessory repair and coordination during engine shop visits on a fixed-price basis. Services will be performed at MTU's Maintenance accessory repair center of excellence in British Columbia, Canada. This new agreement builds on the outstanding business relationship that the two companies have shared since 2013. Volaris is a Mexican airline with more than 60 destinations in Mexico, the U.S. and Central America. Founded in 2003 and beginning commercial flights in 2006, the airline boasts the youngest fleet in Mexico. It is the second largest airline in Mexico and has achieved a market share of 27 percent over the last decade. MTU Maintenance is the world's largest service provider for the V2500 family of engine models with over 4,300 shop visits on the engine family since 1989. As part of its comprehensive engine services, MTU Maintenance provides specialized LRU and accessory management and support. Its in-house repair and test capabilities range from fuel components such as pumps, fuel controls,actuators and electrical components to pneumatic components that include valves and starters. About MTU Aero Engines MTU Aero Engines AG is Germany's leading engine manufacturer. The company is a technological leader in lowpressure turbines, high-pressure compressors, turbine center frames as well as manufacturing processes and repair techniques. In the commercial OEM business, the company plays a key role in the development, manufacturing and marketing of high-tech components together with international partners. In the commercial maintenance sector, the company ranks among the top five service providers for commercial aircraft engines and industrial gas turbines. The activities are combined under the umbrella of MTU Maintenance. In the military field, MTU Aero Engines is Germany's industrial lead company for practically all engines operated by the country's military. MTU operates a network of locations around the globe; Munich is home to its corporate headquarters. In the fiscal year 2016, the company had a workforce of some 9,000 employees and posted consolidated sales of approximately 4.7 billion euros. http://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/12347777/mtu-maintenance-canada-and-volaris-sign- exclusive-engine-accessories-contract Back to Top SpaceX targeting Sunday Falcon 9 launch from KSC for its third mission in nine days Just nine days after SpaceX's bicoastal accomplishment last weekend, the company is again aiming to vault a Falcon 9 rocket paired with a commercial communications satellite from Kennedy Space Center, this time on Sunday. SpaceX's third mission in nine days, targeted for a 59-minute launch window that opens at 7:35 p.m., will take an Intelsat communications satellite to a geostationary orbit from KSC's pad 39A. This mission involves an expendable Falcon 9 - a first stage landing will not be attempted due to fuel constraints, so no landing legs will be installed on the booster. A check of the rocket's nine Merlin main engines, known as a static test fire, is scheduled to take place at pad 39A starting at 4 p.m. Thursday. The window for the test closes at midnight. A forecast from the Air Force's 45th Weather Squadron is also expected Thursday. The Hawthorne, California-based company achieved a major milestone last weekend when it broke its own record for flight-to-flight time, launching from both coasts and landing on drone ships stationed in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Last Friday, a previously flown Falcon 9 lifted Bulgaria's first geostationary communications satellite, BulgariaSat-1, to orbit from KSC and softly landed on the "Of Course I Still Love You" drone ship. Just two days later on Sunday, a new Falcon 9 packed with 10 satellites for communications company Iridium leapt off the pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, later landing on the West Coast drone ship named "Just Read The Instructions." SpaceX operates independent launch teams on both coasts, but thanks to remote access, personnel can support missions without having to travel. The team in California was on console to support Friday's launch from KSC, and the reverse was true for Sunday's launch from Vandenberg. Just halfway into the year, SpaceX has overseen nine successful missions, already topping its 2016 total of eight. United Launch Alliance, meanwhile, is targeting August 3 for the launch of an Atlas V rocket with NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, known as TDRS-M, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 41. The spacecraft arrived in Titusvillelast Friday. http://www.floridatoday.com/story/tech/science/space/2017/06/28/spacex-targeting-sunday- falcon-9-launch-ksc-third-mission-nine-days/435352001/ Back to Top Solar Impulse CEO says this can make air transport cheaper, cleaner, quieter and safer Electric propulsion technology can potentially make air transport cheaper, quieter, safer and more environmentally friendly, according to one of the co-founders of Solar Impulse, a company that is exploring the potential use solar-powered airplanes for travel. André Borschberg, chief executive and pilot at the Switzerland-based company, spoke to CNBC on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum's annual June meeting in Dalian. He pointed to drones as an example of the potential the technology holds for the aviation industry. Consumer drones use electric motors to power the propellers that make them airborne. "You can already see the small drones (are) more stable in turbulent air than very expensive helicopters," he said. "You can think about applying these technologies to airplanes as well." "This technology, electric propulsion, will change the world of aviation," he said. Borschberg, along with Solar Impulse chairman and pilot Bertrand Piccard, developed two solar- powered airplanes that are able to fly day and night without fuel. Last year, Solar Impulse 2 made a record-breaking round-the-world trip that set new levels for what clean technology can achieve. Earlier this year, Borschberg co-founded H55 to further expand the potential of electric propulsion. The company is a spin-off of Solar Impulse and develops and sells electric propulsion technologies to aircraft manufacturers. "I started a new company based on basically the technologies we developed, the know-how we have, (and) with the engineers that we have at Solar Impulse. The goal is to develop solutions for this electric propulsion world which is slowly emerging" he said. H55 focuses on the entire propulsion chain, from the energy source and its management, to thrust and power. It also looks at pilot interface and all control systems. Its electric demonstrator aircraft has successfully flown more than 50 hours with a battery endurance exceeding more than one hour, the company said on its website. Electric propulsion technology, according to Borschberg, can help address some of the common criticisms leveled at the aviation industry. "Aviation is seen to make too much noise, seen polluting, maybe sometimes (it is) expensive and through this technology, we can address these issues." The global drive for developing more clean technologies took a slight dent earlier this year, when President Donald Trumpwithdrew the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement. The decision was criticized by many business leaders, while governors from several states said they will push to uphold the deal by forming what they called a "climate alliance." When asked about the decision, Borschberg said it was not surprising. Instead, he said the counter reactions could see greater commitments from people toward the Paris climate deal objectives. "I'm sure Donald Trump will change his mind also in a few years, because he will see the potential we have of developing jobs through clean technologies," he said. Borschberg explained that today, it is cheaper to produce electricity in places where it's sunny - such as Dubai, Texas and Arizona. Producing electricity using solar technology is less expensive than using gas, coal or any other types of fossil fuels, he said. This has led to a point of no return in the drive to pursue more clean energy. Countries are taking advantage of this momentum, and China, for example, has been pushing for solar and wind energies. "I'm also thankful for the Chinese to have invested so much efforts in the world of solar energy. The Germans developed the technology, but the Chinese made it very competitive. And that's the reason why we reached this point of no return because now they're very cheap," he said. http://www.cnbc.com/2017/06/27/solar-impulse-ceo-electric-propulsion-technology-change-the- aviation-industry.html Curt Lewis