November 27, 2017 - No. 092 In This Issue Rolls-Royce Joins Siemens and Airbus to Get a Hybrid Jet Into the Air Airbus explores 1-pilot, autonomous aircraft Blockchain: potentially transformative technology that could help rebalance the aviation value chain CAE acquires AirAsia's share in AACE for $100m ST unit, partner develop better cargo handling process, win Aviation Challenge GE and United Engine to explore turboprop business opportunities Martek Establish Dedicated Maritime Unmanned Aviation Division Ctrl + P = aircraft: How additive manufacturing will reshape aviation Smart air traffic control tower to go up at Changi Airport courtesy of a UK company SpaceX engineers put rocket engines through their paces Rolls-Royce Joins Siemens and Airbus to Get a Hybrid Jet Into the Air Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc is joining Airbus SE and Siemens AG in their quest to develop a 100-seater hybrid electric aircraft, giving the U.K. engine maker a seat at the table of a potential promising aviation technology. Rolls is tasked with helping develop a 2 megawatt electric drive for the aircraft, according to people with knowledge of the matter who asked not to be identified as the information is private. A formal accord with Rolls could be announced as soon as Tuesday, they said. Step by step, Siemens and Airbus are moving closer toward their goal of producing a single-aisle plane with a 20 to 40 megawatt electric drive. Siemens already demonstrated smaller aircraft with 60 kilowatt drive systems at air shows this year. The two companies initially set a goal to make a two-seater electric aircraft, dubbed the e-fan, that would have been used as a pilot trainer and tour-operator. Spokespeople for Siemens, Airbus and Rolls declined to comment. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-11-24/rolls-joins-siemens-airbus-to-get-hybrid-jet-flying-by-2020 Back to Top Airbus explores 1-pilot, autonomous aircraft Airbus SE is looking to develop autonomous aircraft and technologies that will allow a single pilot to operate commercial jetliners, helping cut costs for carriers, Chief Technology Officer Paul Eremenko said. "The more disruptive approach is to say maybe we can reduce the crew needs for our future aircraft," Eremenko told Bloomberg Television's Yvonne Man in an interview broadcast Wednesday. "We're pursuing single-pilot operation as a potential option, and a lot of the technologies needed to make that happen has also put us on the path towards unpiloted operation." The aerospace industry has begun seeing a trend similar to the car market, where automakers are investing in autonomous-driving startups. Plane manufacturers including Airbus and Boeing Co. are racing to develop artificial intelligence that will one day enable computers to fly planes without humans at the controls. Airbus has a division called Urban Air Mobility exploring technology from on-demand helicopter rides to delivery drones. Boeing said last month it purchased a company that is developing flying taxis for Uber Technologies Inc. and also bought into a hybrid-electric airplane company. Airbus agreed last week to set up an innovation center in China's Shenzhen, near Hong Kong. The facility will help accelerate research needed to chart the future of air travel, and China will provide Airbus an opportunity to design and develop such technologies, Eremenko said. "I think the general aviation space in China is just opening up," Eremenko said in Hong Kong. The Toulouse, France-based company is also exploring technologies that will bring more automation to the cockpit of planes that could help resolve shortage of pilots in countries like China, which is set to emerge as the world's biggest aviation market in less than a decade. Discussions are on with companies such as Baidu Inc. for ways to apply self-driving technology to aviation, Eremenko said. Boeing estimates that 637,000 pilots will be needed to fly commercial aircraft globally in the next two decades. The industry needs to find ways to produce more cockpit crew as only 200,000 pilots have been trained since the start of the aviation industry, Eremenko said. Airbus's A3 Silicon Valley think tank has been working on its proposed Vahana flying taxi, due for its first test at year's end. The pilotless, electric-powered vehicle could be hailed like a conventional cab but won't get stuck in traffic jams. The single--person flying machine could slash journey times for city dwellers over a range of 50 miles, according to Airbus. ON THE MOVE Bank of Hawaii has announced that Raymond Bristol is the new senior vice president and wholesale credit administrator in the Wholesale Credit Department. Bristol has more than 30 years of financial industry experience, including previously having served as a senior vice president and regional manager for Manufacturers Bank in Los Angeles. HomeBridge Financial Services has announced that Tess Roldan is the new mortgage loan originator for its Oahu offices. Roldan has been in the mortgage industry for 15 years, including working at Veterans Choice Home Loans, a Division of Mann Mortgage, for three years as well as nine years at Guild Mortgage. AHL Design principal Bill Brizee has been appointed to The International Code Council Egress Development Committee effective Jan. 1, 2018, to Dec. 31, 2020. His experience serving in codes committees include five years with the state Building Code Council and the AIA Code Committee in Honolulu for nine years. http://www.staradvertiser.com/2017/11/24/business/briefs-business/airbus-explores-1-pilot-autonomous-aircraft/ Back to Top Blockchain: potentially transformative technology that could help rebalance the aviation value chain According to IATA SVP Financial and Distribution Services Aleks Popovic, IATA's financial settlement system hands USD7.7 billion annually to financial institutions in fees (22% of the world airline industry's estimated 2016 net profit). Financial institutions are just one of many intermediaries in the aviation value chain, each taking a cut. IATA, airlines and other aviation organisations are understandably researching blockchain technology's potential. It could help to reduce airlines' dependence on intermediaries, to lower costs and to streamline processes. The best known application of blockchain is bitcoin, the mercurial cryptocurrency, whose benefits for payment include speed of processing, lower costs versus credit cards, lower risk of fraud, and its cross-border nature. It also widens the potential customer base, since bitcoin payment does not require a credit card, or even a bank account. But blockchain has huge transformative potential beyond cryptocurrency. An open, distributed ledger that records transactions in a manner that is permanent and verifiable, blockchain allows parties to exchange money, data and contracts without involving a third party. It enables 'smart contracts', which automatically trigger an action on the fulfilment of agreed conditions. Blockchain's potential uses in aviation include areas such as passenger and operational data, loyalty, baggage tracking, MRO, security and distribution. https://centreforaviation.com/insights/analysis/blockchain-potentially-transformative-technology-that-could-help-rebalance-the-aviation-value-chain-386235 Back to Top CAE acquires AirAsia's share in AACE for $100m Canada-based aviation training provider CAE has completed the $100m acquisition of Malaysian airline AirAsia's interest in Asian Aviation Centre of Excellence (AACE), which comprises earn-out. The development is a result of a sale and purchase agreement announced in August, as well as the approval of all the necessary conditions and regulatory requirements. It will enable CAE to expand its presence in the Asia-Pacific aviation market. The company has retained all 150 employees working at three AACE training centres in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Singapore; and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. CAE president and CEO Marc Parent said: "As we conclude the transaction and launch a new phase in our relationship, I would like to once again thank AirAsia for their confidence in CAE. "We are pleased to welcome the AACE team to CAE. Together, we will continue to build on the world-class training experience that our customers have come to expect." AACE was established as a joint venture between CAE and AirAsia, following the expansion of a type rating training organisation (TRTO) partnership between the companies in 2010. The centre provides training for pilots, cabin crew, maintenance engineers and technicians, as well as ground services personnel for airlines across the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) region. It also offers comprehensive training of all AirAsia's pilots, cabin crew and maintenance and ground services personnel. Last June, AACE launched its new A330 CAE 7000XR Series full-flight simulator (FFS) at its centre in Glenmarie, Selangor, Malaysia, bringing its total number of full-flight simulators at all AACE centres to 12. https://www.aerospace-technology.com/news/cae-acquires-airasias-share-aace-100m/ Back to Top ST unit, partner develop better cargo handling process, win Aviation Challenge THE CIVIL Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) has said it will be working with companies who have expressed interest in developing better cargo handling processes at Changi Airport. One such process is a winning idea developed by a unit of Singapore Technologies (ST) and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). The team led by ST Dynamics - the advanced engineering arm of ST Engineering - took home a S$300,000 cash prize for winning CAAS's second Aviation Challenge. First launched in 2014, The Aviation Challenge serves as a means to develop solutions to automate key segments of the cargo handling process to reduce physical strain on cargo handlers and improve productivity. Thirteen teams submitted proposals for the second edition of the challenge where TUM CREATE Singapore joined ST Dynamics as finalists. The finalists were then awarded a total of S$4 million in funding to develop prototypes over a two-year period from September 2015. CAAS said the results from the tests were encouraging "with both prototypes proving capable at reducing the workload for workers by about 30 per cent, whilst improving their contributions". Software used on the respective prototypes also showed promise of improving work productivity while achieving better - albeit slightly - space utilisation than a cargo planner can. "Some companies have expressed interest to follow up with the teams on the technologies that have been developed," CAAS said. Paul Tan, ST Dynamics' vice-president of Technology Development, said: "The automated solution for cargo handling operations is a game-changer for modern airports." "Our solution, which is jointly developed with IAI, will significantly improve cargo handling productivity and support future growth of airport operations with minimal modifications to existing infrastructure or operating processes." CAAS director-general Kevin Shum said the prototypes had the potential to transform the cargo handling process - benefiting airlines, ground handlers and workers. "They will support the air transport industry transformation map, aimed at raising productivity and creating better jobs for our air transport workers," he added. http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/technology/st-unit-partner-develop-better-cargo-handling-process-win-aviation-challenge Back to Top GE and United Engine to explore turboprop business opportunities GE Aviation's Czech Republic-based subsidiary has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with United Engine (UEC) to explore new business opportunities and synergy serving the Russian turboprop engine market. The collaboration is expected to be benefited from the wide and remote Russian territory, which is considered as a good environment for turboprop aircraft. Turboprop aircraft are capable of operating out of small landing fields and their operators can save cost from the aircraft's lower fuel consumption levels on shorter flights. GE Aviation Business and General Aviation turboprops president and managing executive Michele D'Ercole said: "The reliable, robust and easy-maintenance design of GE H-Series engines target the most severe environments and remote areas of Russia such as Siberia and the Far East. "With a strong turboprop technology footprint and localised turboprop services in Russia, GE turboprops address market needs, serving customers all across the vast Russian territory in commuter and business regional transport, utility and training aircrafts." GE has so far manufactured thousands of turboprop engines to power various applications across six continents, including Russia since the 1970s. The company's latest line of H-Series turboprop engines has three models that range from 550hp to 850hp capacities. United Engine general sales and services deputy director Alexander Grachev said: "UEC as a leading company in Russia dealing with gas-turbine development is ready to provide the necessary support to GE Aviation Czech in the field of turboprop engines market study." The company is specialised in the development, production and servicing of gas turbine machinery for civil and military aircraft, helicopters, power generation plants, spacecraft and ships. https://www.aerospace-technology.com/news/ge-united-engine-explore-turboprop-business-opportunities/ Back to Top Martek Establish Dedicated Maritime Unmanned Aviation Division To mark growing demand for maritime RPAS (Remotely Piloted Aircraft System) services and the rapid expansion of business, Martek Marine has established a dedicated Martek Aviation division. The new Martek Aviation division is strategically focussed on pioneering unmanned maritime aviation services, after a successful track record of 25 years improving commercial maritime safety. Maritime RPAS applications are set for massive growth and Martek Aviation looks set to capitalise on this fast-emerging area of opportunity. The business will focus on delivering total service solutions in the following maritime applications: • Intelligence, surveillance & reconnaissance (ISR); • Search & rescue; • Detection and monitoring of sources of illegal pollution; • Detection of illegal drug & people trafficking; • Fisheries protection; • Offshore asset & infrastructure inspection. Martek's team has rapidly expanded in the last 6 months to >70 people and continues to grow as contracts scale. Martek Aviation is committed to bringing the quality culture, standards & procedures of manned aviation into the emerging unmanned sector, and in common with the world's major airlines, Martek Aviation has deployed the Centrik system, to manage the entire operation. Martek Aviation's team is dominated by genuine subject matter experts boasting 43,000 flying hours with 9,500 hours in maritime alone, together with experience operating/maintaining >60 types of manned and unmanned aircraft. Paul Luen, Martek Group CEO commented, "We've committed >£5million so far to establish a leading position in maritime RPAS capability and the establishment of a dedicated Martek Aviation division was a planned evolution of our business following recent major contract successes. A number of major OEMs have approached us about operating partnerships to help grow their platform sales and we expect further announcements shortly. We welcome competition from the major companies entering this market and through continual investment in technology and people, we're determined to retain our leading position as the market expands." Martek Aviation are pioneering Best in World Unmanned Maritime Aviation Services. With 25 years MARITIME pedigree, over 43,000 flying hours and upholding manned aviation quality culture, standards & procedures, Martek Aviation are acknowledged maritime RPAS (Remotely Piloted Aircraft System) pioneers as they deliver UAS maritime services via framework contracts such as with the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) in pollution monitoring and general maritime surveillance, valued at €77million. www.martekuas.com https://www.suasnews.com/2017/11/martek-establish-dedicated-maritime-unmanned-aviation-division/ Back to Top Ctrl + P = aircraft: How additive manufacturing will reshape aviation Things have changed a lot since Dr Robert Sharman, global head of additive manufacturing (AM) at GKN, first became involved in 3D printing. In fact, when he started, neither term existed. His PhD was about powder deposition. The same thing but not as catchy. Now 3D printing is everywhere. But the work Sharman's team does is a long way away from the plastic 3D printers you can buy on Amazon for a few hundred dollars. This is one reason why GKN uses the term AM to distinguish between 3D printing for non-engineered parts and AM for critically-engineered parts. GKN Additive has supplied AM parts to Dassault's Falcon 5X, the Ariane 5 Space Rocket and several engine programmes. Seven aircraft types have GKN AM parts on board and GKN's AM technology is used to make parts for many cars. But this is just the start. While AM is certain to change the way aircraft parts are made and distributed, the impact will be bigger. It will allow manufacturers to fundamentally redesign engines and aircraft. "AM is best when it allows you to do something that you cannot do any other way - either physically, economically or both," says Sharman. "You can do amazing things, and they may even be cheaper in the long run. Parts consolidation is one example. The actual component may be very high value but, if you are putting several 3D parts into a single part and cutting out the assembly and weight, there is a multiplication of benefits." He says that, rather than looking at individual parts, the real breakthroughs will come when whole systems are built using AM. "Everything that you see around you looks like it does because of how we make it," says Sharman. "Holes are round because we drill them. But holes do not have to be round. If you look at your blood vessels, they continually vary in shape and size to reduce pressure loss as your blood flows through your body. AM allows you to generate systems like that that would have been uneconomical or impossible with traditional techniques." Engineers have been looking at natural systems or bionic design for many years but Sharman says that AM finally makes it possible to truly incorporate it. "if you look at how we make things and how nature makes things, they do look quite different," says Sharman. "Nature tends to be right. After all, it has had a bit more practice." But while it opens up new opportunities, creating AM aircraft parts is not easy. AM or 3D printing is about building things layer by layer. "Fundamentally, you take the design of a part and then you slice it down, digitally, into multiple layers and then you effectively use an energy beam to melt that layer and fuse it to the layer below," says Sharman. "You grow the part." This fusion - effectively a series of micro-welds - also changes the properties of the material. "We are actually generating the material's properties as a part of the manufacturing process," says Sharman. Whilst plastic 3-D printers rely on polymers, creating a new metal part is much more complicated - and not just because aircraft parts are used for more critical roles. AM manufacturers can make hundreds of small adjustments that change the property of the part. "There are lots of variables you can change. These include the energy beam power, the size of each layer, the type of material, the powder and others. If you are using powder, the size, the shape, the morphology makes a difference. As does the speed at which you scan, the part at which you scan the energy beam, and so on," says Sharman. "It is a multi-parametric system. Each of those different parameters need controlling and understanding because of the change to geometric shape - every shape is different." One reason that AM is still evolving is that manufacturers need vast amounts of computing power. The calculations and data they store and process now were not economically possible just a few years ago. "Once you understand all those parameters, it is about understanding how all those different elements of the process come together effectively to give you what we call an energy density - the window which allows fusing," says Sharman. "That is also linked to geometry. If I am making something thick, the cooling as it melts is different than if I make something thin, and if I make an intersection. For a complex part, that heat flow is different for every geometry and every part. "It is hugely complex, and this is a blessing and a curse. The curse is that it is complex to get it right; but the blessing is that you can really do some quite amazing things that would be unthinkable with conventional manufacturing." While lots of companies are experimenting with 3D printing for interiors, the extra complexity involved with metal aircraft parts limits the number of companies targeting this market. Another barrier to start-ups is the need to work with regulators. At the moment aerospace regulators and OEMs are still learning about AM manufacturing. Manufacturers need to prove new techniques as well as their quality systems. This gives existing suppliers like GKN an advantage. Aviation is also benefitting from developments in other industries, like automotive and rail. Sharman says that developments in other markets mean that AM will change aviation faster than many people think. Adoption of AM will also depend on new aircraft and engine projects. The widespread adoption of composite parts has taken almost 40 years. Sharman is confident that every major upgrade or new clean-sheet design project will use AM. One reason for this is that OEMs are keen to understand the process better so want to use AM on all new projects. Pretty much every aircraft part can now be made using AM. But Sharman does not expect this to happen. "Probably the biggest error people make is that they come up with something that's already being made and say, 'Can you make it?' The answer is almost certainly 'yes'. But then 'why would I?' The biggest advantage is, and certainly this is what we are seeing in the market today, being able to either use materials or generate materials that you couldn't process otherwise." Sharman says there are ceramics and metals that manufacturers have studied for years but have not been able to use in production - either for cost or processing reasons. Using AM can also cut down wastage, allowing manufacturers to use more expensive metals. "AM allows you to use materials that you could not otherwise use. And there is functionality, as well. I think a lot of people focus on the lightweight design but, because you can generate hugely complex structures, you can generate shapes for functional parts that will otherwise be physically or uneconomical to make, with huge impact." An example of this could be the acoustic liner of an engine. At the moment, these are typically built with a regular honeycomb design. AM allows manufacturers to make each cell different to absorb a certain frequency of wavelength of noise. This could make liners better at absorbing sound whilst weighing less than traditional ones. AM will change the whole parts supply chain. As costs come down, it will be possible for every airport to have printers or AM machines. An aircraft's monitoring systems could alert maintenance shops that a new part is needed and a new one could be created before the aircraft lands. Rather than having millions of dollars tied up in parts, manufacturers and maintenance companies could just own printing machines and stock powder. Several air forces around the world are working on this at remote bases. "We are not there yet with structural parts," says Sharman, "but several airlines are already looking at printing interiors for polymer parts such as interiors at airports. This is probably not as far away as you think - interiors and small fittings could be one year away." AM will also make it possible to repair parts. A worn blade can be rebuilt rather than scrapped. "We are already in production with certain freeform deposition AM techniques," says Sharman. "You can repair and build up high-value components much more cost-effectively in some cases - and repair components that previously would be unrepairable." Some engine OEMs are hoping that, eventually, they will be able to rebuild parts while they are still inside an engine. Sharman says that AM is evolving fast and equipment is improving all the time. The industry has only really been around since the late 1980s and has transformed in the last five years. He is certain that it will keep changing. "AM will, without doubt, be very significant in aviation. It will change the world in manufacturing and design. It has started happening today but it is not all going to happen tomorrow," he says. "We are just at the start of the revolution. It is not a future technology, it is a technology of today, but there is a lot more to come." https://corporatejetinvestor.com/articles/ctrl-p-aircraft-678/ Back to Top Smart air traffic control tower to go up at Changi Airport courtesy of a UK company NATS announced today (November 22) that it has been awarded a contract by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) to set up a digital tower at one of the world's busiest airports. Changi, with its 58 million passenger movements a year, will be the largest and most complex in the world to trial the technology. Its operators hope to learn how digital towers could meet its challenging day-to-day operational requirements. A smart digital tower, equipped with a range of assistive functionalities and features, is expected to enhance air traffic management and the safety of runway and ground operations, and to increase operational efficiencies at the airport. The contract includes the set-up of multiple fixed-position cameras to feed live video images onto a large video wall. The trial will employ advanced camera and video stitching tools from Searidge Technologies, the Canadian digital tower company, to provide an enhanced view of the airport with live operational data overlaid as a 'heads up display'. Cameras will be able to track, pan, tilt, and zoom, to enable a closer look at objects or areas of interest, while radar and weather data can also be augmented on screen to provide greater situational awareness. The project will last for 22 months and allow CAAS to evaluate the operational feasibility of adopting a smart digital tower at Changi Airport in the future. Director-General of CAAS, Mr Kevin Shum, said: "In concert with Singapore's Smart Nation drive, we are leveraging digital technology to transform the aviation industry in Singapore in many different ways. We look forward to working closely with NATS to co-develop the operational procedures and processes required to deploy the smart digital tower for Changi Airport. We are excited by the possibilities and remain committed to working with our industry partners to provide quality air traffic management services without compromising on safety and service levels." Martin Rolfe, NATS Chief Executive Officer, said: "Singapore and CAAS are leading the world in the approach to smart airport and smart digital tower adoption and we're absolutely delighted to have been chosen to work with them on what will be a transformational project for Changi Airport and the wider aviation industry. I believe the work we do together over the next two years will help shape how smart digital tower and smart airport technologies are applied to hub airports all over the world. It's a huge vote of confidence not just in NATS' operational capabilities, but also our partners at Searidge Technologies." Moodie Cheikh, Searidge Technologies CEO and co-founder added: "This project in Singapore, together with our recent remote tower certification at Budapest Airport, signifies a significant milestone in Searidge's history. It is an endorsement of our strategy and technology vision and we are looking forward to working with CAAS and NATS to deliver on CAAS' vision of the Changi smart digital tower." Alongside NATS and Searidge Technologies, the project will be delivered by Singapore Technologies Electronics Ltd (Large Systems Group) and HungaroControl. It will be the first major project NATS and Searidge will undertake together since the UK ANSP bought a 50% stake in the Canadian company in May this year. https://www.internationalairportreview.com/news/40100/smart-air-traffic-tower-changi-airport/ Back to Top SpaceX engineers put rocket engines through their paces McGREGOR - As SpaceX, the brainchild of boundary-pushing Elon Musk, has become one of the biggest players working on the next generation of space travel, its test site in this Central Texas town has been quietly fulfilling an essential role in its quest. McGregor, less than 20 miles southwest of Waco, has grown to become SpaceX's second-largest location, in terms of employees. With the commercial space industry assuming a larger role in the evolving national space race, the Hawthorne, California-based company has been steadily increasing the size and workload at its McGregor test site, where it brings every one of its engines for testing. "It is an optimistic time to be in the space industry," said Bill Ostrove, space market analyst for Forecast International, which provides consulting for aerospace and other industries. "There is a lot of capital and talent flowing into the industry right now. We're definitely seeing a lot of advances that haven't been made in a long time." The space industry received more than $2 billion in equity investment through the first nine months of this year, according to a report from Space Angels, a network of angel investors focused on early stage commercial space investments. That includes personal investments from individuals in the business such as Musk, Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com fame, Robert Bigelow and Richard Branson. Bezos' Blue Origin, another of the bigger players working on powerful rockets, also has a base in Texas. SpaceX has successfully launched 45 missions since 2008, when it made history by getting the first privately developed liquid-fuel rocket into orbit. The rockets carry cargo into space for NASA, place satellites into orbit for commercial customers and complete national security missions for the U.S. government. First-stage boosters have successfully landed on drone ships or solid ground 19 times - another history-making feat for SpaceX - and three missions have reused one of the previously flown boosters. "What more compelling mission is there than to make humanity an interplanetary species, right?" asked Zachary Ledford, a former Army field-artillery officer who now works with SpaceX's human resources' data and automation team. "There's nothing else going on in the world right now that's more exciting and more compelling." At McGregor, technicians and engineers build and maintain 14 test stands that secure rocket engines for testing, diverting the flames into a concrete trench. They work with their counterparts in Hawthorne to turn big-picture ideas into feats of modern science. Testing all those engines in preparation for their less-than-three-minute journey into orbit keeps employees at attention, and SpaceX is finding that military veterans play an integral part of its workforce. At the SpaceX test facility in McGregor, a third of more than 550 full-timers have military backgrounds. Employees say they are used to mission-driven tasks. "We're where the action is at," said Michael Adams, a Navy Reserve officer and a SpaceX build-reliability engineer. "There's a lot of test ops out here. We're firing off engines. We're firing off stages. There's a lot to be done out here." Co-worker Joel Fecke likens the work to his critical high-tempo job in the Army overseeing maintenance of vehicles, weapons and equipment for a cavalry scout squadron. "The way we work together as a team, it's really what speaks to the veterans," said Adams, who served aboard a nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine. Only a handful of commercial companies are launching payloads into orbit or developing rockets. Orbital ATK used a medium-lift rocket last week to deliver cargo to the International Space Station as part of its contract with NASA. Blue Origin recently completed a hot-fire test of its BE-4 engine, which is capable of producing 550,000 pounds of thrust at sea level. The BE-4 engine will be used to power Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket. The first-stage booster will have seven reusable liquid-oxygen, liquefied-natural-gas engines generating 3.85 million pounds of thrust. SpaceX is developing a heavy-lift and super-heavy-lift rocket of its own. The Falcon Heavy will have 27 Merlin first-stage engines, three times more than the Falcon 9 that SpaceX is currently flying, fueled by liquid oxygen and rocket-grade kerosene. The engines combine for a total of 5.13 million pounds of thrust at liftoff. "There's a lot of interest and a lot of excitement in this area right now," Ostrove said of overall launch vehicle development. Musk is targeting Mars, ultimately. SpaceX is developing an even heavier-lift rocket, with new Raptor engines, that could one day reach the Red Planet. The vehicle is being called "BFR." With 31 Raptor engines on the BFR booster, it's expected to be more powerful than the Saturn V rocket that NASA used to propel astronauts to the moon. The Raptor engines will be fueled by liquid oxygen and liquid methane, the latter being available on the surface of Mars for the return journey to Earth. Raptor engines have been tested for a total of more than 1,200 seconds of firing across more than 40 main engine tests. SpaceX, Blue Origin and NASA are the main U.S. players developing heavy- and super-heavy-lift rockets, Ostrove said. The commercial companies, however, are taking opposite approaches to rocket development. SpaceX has less powerful engines but is building more of them. The rationale is that more practice will accelerate learning and bring down costs, Ostrove said. Blue Origin is putting fewer, more powerful engines on its rockets. Its rationale, he added, is that fewer working pieces will make it easier to integrate the various rocket elements. Blue Origin declined to comment for this article. Ostrove said the big question moving forward is whether the market can sustain both companies. That will largely depend on their pricing to carry payloads to the moon, Mars or beyond. "I think it's still very far out there, but we're a lot closer to have, sort of, an economy around these heavy-lift launch vehicles," he said. "We're probably closer to that now than we've ever been." Steve Fuchs, currently director of fabrication and support in McGregor, started working for SpaceX in 2005. He was living on Kwajalein Island, in the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and Australia, when the young company arrived with plans to launch rockets. Fuchs, who used reverse-osmosis equipment to create clean drinking water for troops, was working as a civilian contractor for the island's Army base, but he was immediately intrigued by SpaceX. He soon got a job preparing the launch pad and helping integrate the rocket. But "everyone did everything" in those days, so Fuchs also captained the 40-foot catamaran that ferried employees to and from the smaller island where launches would occur. "We had a phrase in the Marine Corps that we used to use called Semper Gumby, which means 'always flexible,'" said Fuchs. "That's very much the same here at SpaceX. ... You may come to work thinking you're going to do a certain job, and that may change three times by the end of the day." He witnessed two liftoffs - neither completely successful - before moving to Texas in 2007. In the early days, most of McGregor's SpaceX employees worked out of an underground bunker, a vestige of the site's extensive history developing explosives and missiles. The bunker had one restroom, a kitchen and offices. Fuchs recalled technicians working from two shipping containers pushed together. It was common for vehicles to get stuck in the mud and for the power to go out. Much has changed. The original test stand, left behind by Beal Aerospace, has been augmented with one more closely resembling a launch pad. Multiple buildings, spread across more than 4,000 acres, contain desks, work areas for technicians and rocket stages awaiting testing. That underground bunker is now a test control center. Complex systems are celebrated in the SpaceX Hall of Flame, with pictures depicting different iterations of engines undergoing testing. Employees' cubicles are adorned with mission patches of successful launches. One notable Texas monument is the Grasshopper. Used to test guidance, navigation and control systems for landing a rocket booster vertically, the prototype has a name that comes from its large, insectlike landing gear. The Grasshopper started with hops of only a matter of inches, but ultimately it flew half a mile into the air. The celebrations of such successes also come with the recognition of setbacks. On Nov. 4, an engine caught fire during a qualification test that occurred before ignition. One test cell was damaged. No one was injured, and SpaceX doesn't expect the incident to affect its launch schedule. The engine being tested was a Block 5 Merlin, and SpaceX rockets are currently using the Block 4 Merlin. Testing of Block 4 Merlin and other engines has continued as planned. Such testing generally occurs twice a day, six days a week, so frequent that many employees hardly notice the noise. Yet some still go outside to watch. Fuchs can tell the type of engine and where it's being tested by simply listening to the sounds reverberating through his workspace. Adams can watch second-stage tests from the window near his desk. "I do take about 15 seconds," he said. "I lean back and I look at it. And I'm like, 'Yeah, that's cool. We do this for a living.'" Adams was transitioning to the Navy Reserve and working on his master's degree in aerospace engineering when he stumbled across SpaceX. He had been interviewing with the more established space organizations and planned to be a company man. "That's what space was. Space was the pencil ties and the pocket protectors," he said. But as government funding dried up, the established aerospace players weren't able to pay for his level of experience. Adams came across a SpaceX booth at a career fair. His quality assurance experience with high-risk submarine systems has fit nicely with his current role of minimizing and eliminating risk while testing second-stage rocket boosters. SpaceX recruits employees with the skills and drive for making humans a multiplanetary species, said Brian Bjelde, vice president of human resources. In a statement, he described veterans as "smart, passionate and driven individuals who are committed to achieving that mission and they bring a wide array of skills that can be deployed in so many of our roles." Ledford, the former artillery officer, was recruited via LinkedIn while earning his MBA at Baylor University. His grandfather worked at Vandenberg AFB, where SpaceX launches some of its rockets. As a kid, Ledford read books on solar systems and built rockets out of Legos. "I really couldn't believe it," he recalled of the cold call from SpaceX. "I was trying to hold back excitement." Fuchs said he can find himself talking about his job for hours with friends and family. "I didn't join the company knowing we're going to get this far," he said. "So to be part of that journey, to see what we've done so far and then to know the potential of what we have to do, is just incredibly exciting." http://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/SpaceX-engineers-put-rocket-engines-through-their-12384821.php Curt Lewis