April 2, 2018 - No. 026 In This Issue Artificial Intelligence Quickly Entering Aerospace Manufacturing The Navy Is Using ATARI To Remotely Control And Land Fighter Jets Historic Qantas Flight Made Possible by Fuel-Efficient Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner DDC-I and North Atlantic Industries Showcase Integrated Safety-Critical Platform at Army Aviation Mission Solution Summit Lufthansa Technik, MTU Aero Engines JV Acquires Facility Site Saudi Arabian Military Industries and Boeing Form Joint Venture Partnership Targeting 55% Localization French Airship Company Tries A New Design AHS Announces $90,000 in Vertical Flight Foundation Scholarships U. S. Mechanic Crunch Due In Early 2020s SpaceX Given Go-Ahead For Broadband Satellite Services Plan Artificial Intelligence Quickly Entering Aerospace Manufacturing More than 80% of leading executives in aerospace and defense companies expect to see artificial intelligence (AI) systems working alongside their human employees in just the next few years, according to the latest annual edition of Accenture's Technology Vision report. What is more, Accenture and some of its top-tier aerospace clients already are using AI systems in forecasting and other decision-making processes, freeing up labor to be re-tasked for other projects. The rate of adoption is catching even the consultants off guard. "This is a big change from last year," said Jeff Wheless, Accenture's global research leader for aerospace and defense (A&D). "Four out of five [executives polled] say AI will be there next to humans in the next two years-that's pretty fast," he told the Aviation Week Network ahead of the report's broader release. According to the report, 70% of A&D leaders expect it to take two years or fewer for new and emerging technology adoption overall. Half of them report already investing in related technology, including AI, "Internet of Things" connectivity, robotics and autonomous machines. A&D leaders said they see new technology having the greatest effect in their production, security and research and development efforts, in that order. But it will have an impact on more than just day-to-day operations or back-office functions. Four out of five respondents also said they are increasingly using data to drive critical and automated decision-making. Above all, 94% surveyed said they believe this next generation of technology will be moving into physical environments through increased adoption of augmented reality, connected devices and robotics. Accenture representatives are reluctant to discuss case examples of clients using the new technology. But John Schmidt, managing director and the global A&D lead, discussed how one leading aircraft OEM was connecting distant engineers and factory managers via augmented reality, cutting down on travel time and costs between the sites. Nevertheless, executives are cognizant of growing challenges brought by the new technologies, starting with the fact that demands for data sharing will only increase. About 90% of poll takers said their A&D companies expect the data exchanged with major business partners will grow over the next two years. "We've got a lot more data [and] we've got data trust issues," Wheless said. http://www.mro-network.com/emerging-technology/artificial-intelligence-quickly-entering- aerospace-manufacturing Back to Top The Navy Is Using ATARI To Remotely Control And Land Fighter Jets The United States Navy is testing a new system called the ATARI onboard the USS Abraham Lincoln that allows the Landing Signals Officer (LSO) to take control of an aircraft on approach to the carrier. The Navy has been working on developing the aircraft terminal approach remote inceptor (ATARI), but the system was only tested at sea for the first time this March. Conditions at sea were challenging to say the least. "I was really impressed with LSO's ability get me to touch down," VX-23 test pilot Lt. John Marino, the first naval aviator to land using ATARI, said. "The conditions were really varsity, and it was really impressive the system worked the way it did. On a calm day, it would have been a little bit boring, but this was definitely more challenging." The Navy expects that ATARI could be used as a backup during contingencies to correct an aircraft's glideslope from as far away as five miles. And while the system could be a useful backup for manned aircraft such a Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet, ATARI might be especially useful for the day when unmanned aircraft start to operate from the flight deck. "We don't have unmanned carrier-based vehicles in the fleet today, but they are coming soon," Dan Shafer, a Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) air vehicle engineer, said. "This is a potential alternative landing method and our system performed well." Indeed, unmanned aviation will arrive onboard the carrier in the coming years. After a long and troubled requirements development process that has had many fits and starts, the Navy has issued a request for proposal for the MQ-25 Stingray unmanned aerial refueling tanker. The MQ-25 could be a bridge towards a future air wing where unmanned aviation features heavily. Boeing, General Atomics, and Lockheed Martin are vying to win the contract. Conditions at sea were especially rough during the tests onboard Lincoln, but LSOs are amongst the most experienced and capable naval aviators. "We took the guy who's flying the aircraft and we moved him to the LSO platform," NAVAIR engineer Buddy Denham-creator of ATARI-said. "You're effectively using little joystick controllers to guide a 40,000 lbs. airplane, and it's almost like you're playing a video game." Despite the tough conditions, the ATARI performed well. "The deck was pitching significantly and yawing and rolling," Denham said. "It was particularly difficult to land that day, and we showed it's possible to use this system even when the conditions aren't ideal." It will still take years of development before ATARI could be fielded to the fleet, but the system looks promising. Eventually, technology like ATARI or something similar could revolutionize naval aviation not just for manned aircraft but unmanned aviation as well. It really is just a matter of time. https://taskandpurpose.com/atari-navy-remote-control-aircraft/ Back to Top Historic Qantas Flight Made Possible by Fuel-Efficient Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner Last week, Qantas Airways, the largest airline by fleet in Australia, completed the third-longest commercial flight in the world in terms of time, a 17-hour, 9,009-mile non-stop from Perth, Australia, to London. The successful flight, the longest ever by a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, marks the start of the only direct air link between Australia and Europe - and the fastest way of traveling between the two continents. According to GE Aviation, composite technology made the Perth-London flight, known as the Kangaroo Route, "not only possible, but viable." The company's FRP composite fan blades on the GEnx engine feature an efficient design, a reduced blade count (from 22 to 18 fan blades) and a composite fan case. The body of Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, half of which consists of FRP composite materials, along with GE's GEnx engines, contribute up to 20 percent lower fuel consumption than other similarly sized aircraft. "The path to this point in the evolution of the Kangaroo Route is a fantastic story, and we're proud to have contributed," says Max York, CEO of GE Australia. "It shows the ability of advanced propulsion technologies like composites and fuel-efficient combustion systems and turbines to revolutionize an industry." Composites also allowed Boeing to pressurize the cabin to 6,000 as opposed to most other jets which are pressurized at 8,000 feet. As a result, Dreamliner passengers are less likely to experience jet lag. "This is hands-down the most comfortable aircraft that Qantas has ever put in the sky," says Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce, one of the passengers on the historic flight. The next step for Qantas, according to Joyce, is to evaluate the viability of flights from Australia to the United States. In December 2017, the airliner announced a new route from Melbourne to San Francisco starting this September. Dreamliners will also replace Boeing 747 jumbo jets on Qantas's existing Brisbane-Los Angeles-New York route. The next frontier from Qantas could be direct flights from Brisbane to Chicago or from Queensland to Seattle or Dallas. http://compositesmanufacturingmagazine.com/2018/04/historic-qantas-flight-made-possible-by- fuel-efficient-boeing-787-9-dreamliner/ Back to Top DDC-I and North Atlantic Industries Showcase Integrated Safety-Critical Platform at Army Aviation Mission Solution Summit Phoenix, AZ - March 29, 2018. DDC-I, a leading supplier of software and professional services for mission- and safety-critical applications, and North Atlantic Industries, a leading provider of embedded systems for mil/aero applications, today announced that they will demonstrate an integrated safety-critical platform running high-end graphics at the Army Aviation Mission Solution Summit. Utilizing NAI's Custom-on-Standard-Architecture™ (COSA®), the integrated platform will feature DDC-I's DO-178 real-time operating system running Ensco IData and CoreAVI OpenGL graphics. DDC-I and NAI will demonstrate their integrated solution in Booth 3007 at the show, which runs from April 25-27 at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel & Convention Center in Nashville, TN. The annual Army Aviation Mission Solution Summit, sponsored by the Army Aviation Association of America (AAAA), gives the entire Army aviation community an ideal venue to gather in one place at one time to focus solely on Army Aviation issues. The summit provides unique opportunities for the community to network, be recognized, have its voice heard, and support our soldiers and their families. Attending the summit will be soldiers (active, National Guard, and reserves), veterans and retirees, special operations, MEDEVAC, and industry leaders in R & D, simulation, acquisition, logistics, training, doctrine, and maintenance. Also at the summit, NATO will hold their Helicopter Inter-Service Working Group (HISWG) meeting. "The Army Aviation Mission Solution Summit provides an excellent venue for DDC-I and NAI to demonstrate our integrated safety-critical platform to the Army aviation community," said Greg Rose, vice president of marketing and product management at DDC-I. " COSA systems equipped with Deos and high-end graphics provide an ideal platform for rapid development, certification, and deployment of safety-critical software for a broad range of Army aviation applications." "We are pleased to be working with DDC-I to offer our joint Army aviation customers an integrated platform that features a best-in-class safety-critical RTOS and our COSA technology," states Lino Massafra, vice president of sales and marketing at NAI. "Army aviation developers requiring the highest level of design assurance now have a flexible, high-performance, off-the-shelf solution that accelerates deployment of safety-critical avionics systems." NAI's Custom-On-Standard-Architecture™ (COSA®) offers highly configurable solutions on standard platforms, with a choice of over 40 intelligent I/O, measurement and simulation, communications and Ethernet switch functions. NAI's COSA systems provide the highest packaging density and greatest flexibility of any SBC platform or system in the industry. DDC-I's Deos is a field proven, safety-critical, avionics RTOS that is used to host a multitude of flight critical functions, such as air data computers, air data inertial reference units, cockpit video, displays and flight instrumentation, flight management systems, engine management, and many more. Built from the ground up for safety-critical applications, Deos was the first RTOS certified to DO-178 DAL A, and is the only certifiable time- and space-partitioned COTS RTOS that has been created using RTCA DO-178, Level A processes from the very first day of its product development. Deos features deterministic real-time response as well as time and space partitioning. Deos also features patented slack scheduling and cache partitioning, which enables it to deliver higher CPU utilization than any other certifiable safety-critical COTS RTOS. Deos is supported on x86, ARM, and PowerPC microprocessors. About DDC-I, Inc. DDC-I, Inc. is a global supplier of real-time operating systems, software development tools, custom software development services, and legacy software system modernization solutions, with a primary focus on mission- and safety-critical applications. DDC-I's customer base is an impressive "who's who" in the commercial, military, aerospace, and safety-critical industries. DDC-I offers safety-critical real-time operating systems, compilers, integrated development environments and run-time systems for C, C++, Ada, and JOVIAL application development. For more information regarding DDC-I products, contact DDC-I at 4600 E. Shea Blvd, Phoenix, AZ 85028; phone (602) 275-7172; fax (602) 252-6054; email sales@ddci.com or visit https://www.ddci.com/pr1802. About NAI NAI is a specialized provider of embedded electronics and computing for sense & response- intensive, military and aerospace applications. NAI accelerates clients' time-to-mission with a unique approach based on Custom-on-Standard-Architecture™ (COSA®) that delivers the best of both worlds: custom solutions from standard COTS components. For over 50 years, companies like Boeing, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon have leveraged NAI's capabilities to meet the demanding requirements of a wide range of I/O and communication-centric applications, and do so with uncompromising quality, efficiency and responsiveness. Information about NAI and its products can be found at www.naii.com. https://www.eejournal.com/industry_news/ddc-i-and-north-atlantic-industries-showcase- integrated-safety-critical-platform-at-army-aviation-mission-solution-summit/ Back to Top Lufthansa Technik, MTU Aero Engines JV Acquires Facility Site Engine Maintenance Europe (EME), the Lufthansa Technik and MTU Aero Engines joint venture announced last year, has acquired a site near acquired near Rzeszów airport in Jasionka for the repair facility. Located at the Aviation Valley cluster in the southeast of the country, EME will specialize in Pratt & Whitney PW1000G-family geared turbofan engine overhauls. Construction is scheduled to begin from May 2018 with the facility expected to become operational by 2020. When announced in February 2017, both JV partners confirmed €150 million ($158 million) would be invested in the facility which will employ more than 800 staff. Once established, EME is targeting annual capacity for more than 400 GTF engine shop visits for the GTF engines, which power the Airbus A320neo aircraft. Both companies already have interests in Poland as well as an existing Air Foil JV partnership in Malaysia. MTU Aero Engines has ran MTU Aero Engines Polska since 2009 also close to Rzeszów airport. Lufthansa Technik meanwhile is planning another engine-focused JV in ?roda ?l?ska with GE Aviation. XEOS, which will start operating in 2019, will specialize in overhauls for GEnx-2B and later, GE9X engines. http://www.mro-network.com/maintenance-repair-overhaul/lufthansa-technik-mtu-aero-engines- jv-acquires-facility-site Back to Top Saudi Arabian Military Industries and Boeing Form Joint Venture Partnership Targeting 55% Localization SEATTLE, March 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- In line with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 and following the announcement of HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crowne Prince, Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers and Minster of Defense, to localize 50% of the total military spending by 2030, Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) and Boeing [NYSE: BA] today signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) to develop a new joint venture (JV) aiming to localize more than 55% of the MRO services for fixed and rotary-wing military aircraft in Saudi Arabia. The agreement will also transfer technology to install weaponry on these aircraft as well as localize the supply chain for spare parts in the Kingdom. The signing ceremony came in conjunction with HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman's visit to Seattle, which included an official visit and tour of Boeing's aircraft manufacturing facilities. The agreement was signed by H.E. Ahmed Al-Khateeb, Chairman of SAMI, and Dennis Muilenburg, Chairman, President, and CEO of Boeing, at Boeing's commercial manufacturing facility in Everett, Wash. The ceremony also included a comprehensive visit to the manufacturing facilities of Boeing, featuring a detailed explanation of the company's operations. Commenting on this important milestone, H.E. Ahmed Al-Khateeb, Chairman of SAMI, said, "Boeing has a long-standing commitment to Saudi Arabia, and is extremely keen on expanding its footprint in the country. Inspired by the vision of HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman, SAMI, on the other hand, is exploring all collaborative opportunities to build a strong autonomous military industries ecosystem in the Kingdom." The joint venture agreement will provide sustainment services for fixed- and rotary-wing military aircraft of the KSA military fleet and will be the sole provider of these services for all military aviation platforms of the KSA military fleet, strengthening the Kingdom's defense capabilities and enhancing its deterrent potential. "We deeply appreciate the trust that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in general, and HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman personally, are placing in Boeing to help deliver Vision 2030 with this new joint venture," said Dennis Muilenburg, Boeing Chairman, President, and CEO. "Our relationship with the Kingdom dates back more than 70 years, and we look forward to continuing our successful partnership in support of the Kingdom's national security and aerospace industry needs." The MoA will further solidify the enduring relationship between Boeing and Saudi Arabia and result in the development of local research, design, engineering, manufacturing, and MRO abilities. The JV will continuously improve performance and growth, upgrade the readiness of and increase confidence in the Saudi military fleet, enhance maintenance capabilities, and reduce support costs throughout the fleet's life. In addition, the agreement will create 6,000 jobs and training opportunities for Saudi youth, support local content, improve Saudization levels in the industry, and assist towards achieving the ambitious Vision 2030 plan. Dr. Andreas Schwer, CEO of SAMI, added, "The significance of the MoA, which is signed today, will enable SAMI and Boeing to play a key role in leading and laying the foundational framework for Saudi's defense sector industrialization, in line with the goals of the Kingdom's National Transformation Program and Vision 2030. In addition to local sustainment capabilities, the inevitable partnership between the two companies could explore the creation of intellectual property as well." Once the MoA is operational, the joint venture will provide a foundation for future platform sales and for expanding Boeing's presence in the Kingdom to support market growth for both commercial and defense programs. Leanne Caret, President and CEO, Boeing Defense, Space and Security added, "With this local capability dedicated to sustaining all U.S.-made defense platforms, we can better serve our customers and support the Kingdom's goals of localization and economic growth." Boeing's partnership with Saudi Arabia dates back to more than 70 years and is growing from strength to strength. It began on February 14, 1945, when U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt presented a twin-engine Dakota DC-3 airplane (manufactured by Boeing's heritage company Douglas Aircraft) to King Abdulaziz Al Saud. This event marked both the beginning of the Boeing relationship with Saudi Arabia and the birth of commercial air travel in the Kingdom. http://www.aviationpros.com/news/12405723/saudi-arabian-military-industries-and-boeing-form- joint-venture-partnership-targeting-55-localization Back to Top French Airship Company Tries A New Design A number of companies have tried a range of variations on the traditional airship in recent years, attempting to combine the simplicity of buoyant flight with new technology to create marketable aircraft - so far, with limited success. Now a new French company, Flying Whales, with support from Chinese aviation conglomerate AVIC, is working on a design that will be able to carry up to 60 tons of cargo. The 500-foot-long airship will load and unload without landing, using slings, a feature that will make it possible to harvest wood from deep forests without roads, the company says. The aircraft will be powered by hybrid distributed electric propulsion and may be capable of remotely piloted flight. The first flight is expected in 2021. Sebastien Bougon, founder and CEO, told the Sydney Morning Herald, "We have a solid base. The wood market alone justifies our investments, and we've got low-risk prospects beyond." Flying Whales already has raised more than $300 million in capital, according to the Herald. Besides AVIC, investors include Bpifrance, which has invested 25 million euros; France's national forestry office; and the Nouvelle Aquitaine region in the southwest of the country. Other recent airship projects include the Airlander, in England, and a mystery project reportedly underway in Silicon Valley. https://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/French-Airship-Company-Tries-A-New-Design-230540- 1.html Back to Top AHS Announces $90,000 in Vertical Flight Foundation Scholarships AIRFAX, Va., March 30, 2018 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- AHS International, The Vertical Flight Society, is pleased to announce its 2018 Vertical Flight Foundation (VFF) scholarship recipients. Scholarships totaling $90,000 were awarded this year to 25 of the world's most talented engineering students interested in vertical flight. "We are delighted to recognize 25 of the top engineering students from around the world," said AHS International Executive Director Mike Hirschberg. "Since 1977, our Vertical Flight Foundation Scholarships have helped inspire generations of students to pursue careers in vertical flight, with many now holding leadership positions in industry, academia and government." The following are this year's awardees, who will be recognized at the AHS Grand Awards Banquet on Wednesday, May 16, 2018. The banquet is one of the highlights of the AHS International 74th Annual Forum & Technology Display at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. The top candidate in each category (marked below with an asterisk) has received special recognition. Each of the Bachelor scholarships includes a cash award of $3,000, while Mr. McElreath will receive $3,500 as the Joseph P. Cribbins Scholarship winner. The Masters and Doctorate scholarship winners receive $3,500, with Mr. Cornelius receiving $5,500for the Bell Vertical Flight Scholarship and Mr. Vascik receiving the $6,500 Dr. Jing Yen Scholarship for Cost Awareness. Bachelor Degree Recipients: * Mr. Addison Flagle, Pennsylvania College of Technology * Mr. James McElreath, Texas A&M University College Station* - Joseph P. Cribbins Memorial Scholarship, honoring the individual who had perhaps the most influence and long-term impact on US Army Aviation logistics in the 20th century * Mr. Lorenzo Novoa, University of Texas Arlington * Mr. Nathaniel Reed, Auburn University * Mr. Peter Ryseck, University of Maryland * Mr. Sourav Sinha, Indian Institute of Technology Master Degree Recipients: * Mr. Jason Cornelius, Pennsylvania State University* - Bell Scholarship, provided by a generous VFF endowment from the company * Mr. Brian Eberle, Georgia Institute of Technology * Mr. Daniel Escobar, University of Maryland * Mr. Bochan Lee, Texas A&M University College Station * Mr. Michael McKay, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute * Ms. Wanyi Ng, University of Maryland * Ms. Bernadine Passe, University of Maryland * Mr. Max Daniel Sokollek, Georgia Institute of Technology * Mr. Michael Trowbridge, Pennsylvania State University Doctorate Degree Recipients: * Mr. David A. Coleman, Texas A&M University College Station * Mr. Roland Feil, Technical University of Munich * Mr. Seyhan Gul, University of Maryland * Mr. Ahmad Haidar, Pennsylvania State University * Mr. Atanu Halder, Texas A&M University College Station * Mr. Nicholson Koukpaizan, Georgia Institute of Technology * Mr. Chams Eddine Mballo, Georgia Institute of Technology * Ms. Stacy Sidle, University of Maryland * Mr. Daiju Uehara, University of Texas Austin * Mr. Parker Vascik, Massashusetts Institute of Technology* - Dr. Jing Yen VFF Scholarship for Cost Awareness, given to the most qualified applicant with interest in improving the affordability of rotorcraft The VFF was established in 1967 as the philanthropic arm of AHS. Since 1977, the merit-based scholarship program has been a great success story: over 500 scholarships have been awarded since that time. The program has been greatly expanded in recent years, with the number of recipients nearly doubling in the last decade, and the total annual scholarship disbursement nearly tripling. Since 2012, more than 150 VFF scholarships totaling over $450,000 have been awarded - prior to this time, annual scholarships generally totaled about $33,000. Last year, in honor of the VFF 50th Anniversary, AHS International kicked off an ongoing Capital Campaign to increase the size of its endowment, in the hopes that a sustained annual scholarship award level of $100,000 can be reached. For more information on the Vertical Flight Foundation or to donate to this important cause, please visit our VFF microsite at www.vtol.org/vff - donations can be designated for the 50th Anniversary Capital Campaign. A list of all past VFF scholarship winners and success stories are also available. VFF and AHS are both recognized by the US Internal Revenue Service as 501(c)(3) charities. AHS International covers all overhead costs of administration and accounting, so 100% of every tax- deductible contribution to VFF goes directly to student scholarships. AHS also contributes a portion of its revenue to supplementing individual contributions. Founded in 1943 as the American Helicopter Society, Inc., AHS International, The Vertical Flight Society, is now the global resource for information on vertical flight technology. The Society advocates, promotes and supports global vertical flight technology and professional development. http://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/ahs-announces-90-000-in-vertical-flight- foundation-scholarships-1019985763 Back to Top U. S. Mechanic Crunch Due In Early 2020s U. S. aircraft mechanics will become more scarce and more valuable in the coming decade. That trend, plus the flood of high-tech aircraft coming into fleets, means new technologies must come to shop floors, according to Oliver Wyman Vice President Steve Douglas. The supply-demand balance for U.S. aircraft mechanics continues to tighten, Douglas told attendees at recent Aviation Technician Education Council conference. The current workforce of 85,000 mechanics averages 51 years of age, nine year older than the general U.S. workforce. One result is that 85% of MROs surveyed by Oliver Wyman are already using overtime and productivity initiatives to meet increasing maintenance demand, as older aircraft fly longer or are pulled out of storage. And 80% of MROs are training their workers internally to broaden their skills. Both techniques can work for a while. But Douglas noted that extensive use of overtime eventually hurts productivity. At present, 95% of surveyed MROs see recruiting new mechanics getting tougher over the next three years. That's a very realistic view. Oliver Wyman itself predicts the big crunch in recruitment will come around 2021, and the supply gap will deepen substantially after that. Better technology offers some hope for blunting the impact of scarcer or more expensive mechanics. But here there are problems too. For example, more predictive maintenance could reduce maintenance demand. But 62% of MROs say the IT systems needed for better predictive maintenance are still constrained by old IT technology. On the positive front, more than two thirds of surveyed MROs are planning to deploy productivity- boosting RFID and mobile devices in the next three years. However, Douglas noted that other industries deployed these technologies years ago. Douglas concluded his presentation by arguing that new-generation aircraft would put pressure on MROs to adopt new technologies, even without the mechanic shortage. With the need to squeeze the most output out of a tightening and probably pricier workforce, that pressure to adopt new technologies will only further intensify. http://www.mro-network.com/maintenance-repair-overhaul/u-s-mechanic-crunch-due-early-2020s Back to Top SpaceX Given Go-Ahead For Broadband Satellite Services Plan SpaceX has now been given formal approval by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to develop its previously revealed global broadband satellite network, the government agency has revealed. As revealed in a public statement on the matter: "This is the first approval of a US-licensed satellite constellation to provide broadband services using a new generation of low-Earth orbit satellite technologies." What does this have to do with cleantech you ask? Well, the broadband satellite plans clearly represent a notable part of SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk's broader plans for both firms. As has been noted by many industry observers (and a fair number of commentators here), it seems fairly likely that SpaceX and Tesla will end up merging in some capacity or other at some point. The reality today is that the firms share some services where synergies are possible - though, there's clearly room for more integration in that regard. For instance, a SpaceX held satellite communications network would of course allow Tesla to cut or eliminate its reliance upon traditional carriers - with all new Tesla vehicles instead possibly getting their internet services via satellite, as an example. A lot of other possibilities exist as well. Reuters provides more: "The system proposed by privately held SpaceX, as Space Exploration Holdings is known, will use 4,425 satellites, the FCC said. ... The Federal Aviation Administration said on Wednesday that SpaceX plans to launch a Falcon 9 rocket on April 2 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. 'The rocket will carry a communications satellite,' the FAA said." "The FCC said SpaceX has been granted authority to use frequencies in the Ka (20/30 GHz) and Ku (11/14 GHz) bands. Musk, who is also the founder and chief executive of electric automaker Tesla Inc, said in 2015 that SpaceX planned to launch a satellite-internet business that would help fund a future city on Mars." "SpaceX wanted to create a 'global communications system' that Musk compared to 'rebuilding the internet in space.' It would be faster than traditional internet connections, he said. Those certainly represent grand plans which may or may not come to fruition, but some degree of communications independence does seem likely for both SpaceX and Tesla within the not too distant future. https://cleantechnica.com/2018/03/31/spacex-given-go-ahead-for-broadband-satellite-services- plan/ Curt Lewis