June 11, 2020 - No. 042 In This Issue France Unveils 15 Billion Aid Package For Aviation Industry Aviation emissions: EU adopts its position on adjusted CORSIA baseline to take account of the consequences of COVID-19 pandemic Mapping Magnetic MRO 124,000 aviation jobs could go within months unless government provides support, says report Green Aviation Initiatives Awarded by Solar Impulse Foundation IATA says 2020 losses will be biggest in aviation history as COVID-19 lays waste to travel New aviation record: Turkey's Bayraktar drone completes 200,000-hour flight time Boeing looks forward to building on multi-faceted relationship with China VTOL Aviation Startup Lilium Completes $35M Funding Round from Investment Firm Baillie Gifford Dimer Lands Strategic Partnership With Honeywell Bringing Its "GermFalcon" Product-Line To Airline Recovery SpaceX rockets fly with software you can find on your Android phone France Unveils €15 Billion Aid Package For Aviation Industry The French government on Tuesday announced a €15 billion ($17 billion) aid program to support the country's aviation industry. The package includes €7 billion already committed to support flag carrier Air France and to bring forward orders for Airbus tanker aircraft for France's military forces. Finance minister Bruno Le Maire announced the support at a press conference in Paris attended by the president of French aerospace industry group GIFAS and the chief executives of Dassault, Safran, Thales, and Airbus. He said the government has acted to save an estimated 100,000 jobs threatened by the Covid-19 crisis. The aid package, comprising funds not previously committed to the industry prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, consists of multiple tranches of support, including a moratorium on the repayment of €1.5 billion principal on aircraft loans supported by France's export credit program. The government earmarked €1.5 billion to support research and development into digital and reduced carbon technology for aviation over five years. €300 billion of this fund will be available to French companies during the remainder of 2020. The support package also includes €500 million (potentially rising to €1 billion) to help medium-sized aerospace suppliers. A further €300 million is to help subcontractors to modernize their production facilities. Le Maire told reporters that the French government is determined to play a leading role in protecting the future of Europe's aviation industry. He said Airbus cannot surrender its position in the global market to U.S. rival Boeing and China's Comac group. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/aerospace/2020-06-09/france-unveils-eu15-billion-aid-package-aviation-industry Back to Top Aviation emissions: EU adopts its position on adjusted CORSIA baseline to take account of the consequences of COVID-19 pandemic The Council today adopted a decision adapting the EU position on the reference period to be used for measuring the growth of CO2 emissions in international aviation, to take account of the unprecedented drop in air traffic due to the coronavirus crisis. The reference period determines the objective for the stabilisation of emissions to be achieved by international aviation under the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA). Consequently, it also determines the amount of offsets airlines have to purchase to meet that objective. CORSIA was agreed on by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in 2016. The baseline as established in 2018 consisted of the average of the international aviation CO2 emissions covered by CORSIA during 2019 and 2020. According to the EU position as set out by the decision, the amended baseline period for the emission values used to calculate growth factors should refer to 2019 emission levels. The EU fully supports CORSIA as the multilateral mechanism for offsetting international aviation emissions and tackling global warming. Adapting the baseline is crucial to maintaining a similar level of ambition for the scheme and the commitment of ICAO states to the CORSIA pilot phase while taking into account the extremely difficult circumstances created by the pandemic for international air traffic. Oleg Butković, Croatian Minister for the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, President of the Council The CORSIA baseline will be discussed by the ICAO Council during its 220th session from 8 to 26 June 2020. The aim of CORSIA is to contribute to the objectives of the Paris Agreement to address climate change in the context of international aviation. It complements a broader set of measures, including aircraft technology improvements, operational improvements and sustainable aviation fuels, to achieve carbon-neutral growth from 2020 onwards. CORSIA is to be reviewed every three years. The first review is scheduled for 2022. The CORSIA pilot phase is due to start in 2021. Technically, the decision taken today amends the corresponding Council decision from 2016. It was adopted by written procedure. The text will be published in the EU Official Journal. https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2020/06/09/aviation-emissions-eu-adopts-its-position-on-adjusted-corsia-baseline-to-take-account-of-the-consequences-of-covid-19-pandemic/ Back to Top Mapping Magnetic MRO It has been a 15-year path for what was once a maintenance department of Estonian Air in 1995 to become what it is today, Magnetic MRO. In 2002, the maintenance department was separated from Estonian Air, becoming Maersk Air Maintenance Estonia, a company owned by Maersk Air. In 2003, the company was acquired by SAS Group and changed its name to Air Maintenance Estonia. Come to 2010, the company was bought by private equity and venture capital investor Baltcap and was renamed Magnetic MRO in 2014. Then, 2018 saw Magnetic MRO acquired by Guangzhou Hangxin Aviation Technology from BaltCap. Throughout, the culture of Magnetic MRO has remained people-oriented, said Jan Kotka, chief operations officer of Magnetic MRO. "A company is its people, people are the company," Kotka said. "We are expanding. Prior to the virus and, on average, we have around 650 (if to add the whole group, otherwise correct) Magnetic people worldwide. People are part of our business DNA - together with a mission to reinvent existing business models and deliver superior customer experience to the global MRO industry." Serving both airlines and asset owners, Kotka called Magnetic MRO a "one-stop-shop." "We have more than 15 various businesses that we run, with different dynamics and its own challenges to manage in more than 36 locations to operate around the world," said Kotka. "We see the need for line and base maintenance to continue, we see increasing demand for redeliveries related maintenance and engineering support, we see that a lot of assets are changing and will change ownership, where our asset management teams can be involved." In the past years, Magnetic MRO has been investing in technology and ERP developments, allowing for greater control and efficiency in their global operations and better business transparency, said Kotka. In that vein, Magnetic has developed, for example, a fingerprint signature solution, which helps to electronically manage thousands of task cards and work order signatures during heavy maintenance projects. Magnetic also invested in the 3D scanning tool FreeScan X7, to scan aircraft parts and fuselage. "It is an ultra-portable, handheld 3D laser scanner with a flexible and convenient scanning mode, providing high accuracy and stability and covering all the depth and thickness measurements. We have been developing further our 3D printing capabilities for spare aircraft parts. Products printed, for example, include tray table latches or armrest covers," Kotka described. Kotka added that the company has been building up their engine maintenance service unit, having bought engine line maintenance tooling and providing training for the team to expand its services this year. "One of the things that makes us unique is our mission to reinvent existing business models and deliver a superior customer experience to the global MRO industry," Kotka said. "We are also unique because we're still that same team of bright-eyed aviation specialists with a passion for those big steel birds. We care. We care about our global family, our customers, partners and the industry that we're all a part of. We care enough to keep pushing the boundaries of not only our own domain, but the whole aviation industry. After all, we are in this for the long run." The company at large has been going through changes, as well, in the past couple of years. In 2018, Magnetic was acquired by Hangxin Aviation Technology and at the beginning of 2019, Magnetic acquired a Dutch-based line maintenance company called Direct Maintenance with several locations in Europe and East Africa. Also in 2019, Magnetic opened spare parts trading expansions in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and expanded operations in Vilnius, Lithuania, as well as establishing a logistics location in Warsaw. "All these changes, integrations, expansions, setting up of new businesses and related processes have been keeping us busy and our hands full with many positive challenges," said Kotka. Like many throughout the aviation industry, Magnetic MRO is feeling the weight of the COVID-19 pandemic. "Rarely there will be an industry or region that will be untouched from COVID-19. Several industries, including aviation, were the very first ones to get impacted and very directly," said Kotka. "Looking every day at aircrafts standing parked at Tallinn Airport and listening to the unusual silence of an airport describes the situation in aviation. "Luckily our business is quite diversified, we have more than 15 different business areas and have work locations and maintenance stations in Europe and Africa, but also directly and through our owners in Asia. Many areas are negatively hit already; however, the main business areas are still running, although on a lower scale. However, some business areas are continuing to run on the same level and one even making all-time records. All in all, in our worst-case scenario, we are considering almost half less business revenue than estimated, which means that the year will be tough and downscaling of business and cost will be needed at least for this year." Kotka continued, saying the crisis will show if Magnetic MROs business model has been "well chosen" and if the company's "heavy work" has paid off, adding he believes their diversification will act as a risk mitigation. "COVID-19 has impacted us immediately," Kotka continued. "There is work still available in hangars; however, we see reductions from April through May onwards and summer looks really soft. Also, as airlines already sense the need to accumulate fewer flight hours this season, then we do expect clear reductions in demand towards year end as well, although probably more busy than the summer period. This crisis will challenge us and other companies, and industries, by hitting the work the same time and in similarly heavy scale, so a really heavy trial for all." Once the crisis has passed, though, Kotka said Magnetic MRO's future plans are simple: "To keep growing and expanding our business, to keep shaping the industry with our innovation, to keep offering our customers the best total technical care service that they can find on the market, and - most importantly - to keep loving what we do. "We don't stop to look back and enjoy the fruits of our hard work. We get our thrill from moving forward and writing our story. All of our engines are still running. Economic cycles are natural, although this crisis is special, hitting the world all at the same time and bring our volumes down and it postpones our planned growth, hence it will not change our bigger plan, developments and overall growth plans." It's the same attitude that has helped Magnetic MRO from a maintenance department into a global entity. "We have built up to our customer base with the strong and well-known, which has taken more than 10 years of hard work, commitment and reliable service, showing that an Estonian-based company can keep up and beat the global competition. That's the biggest thanks and acknowledgement to our efforts and developments," said Kotka. https://www.aviationpros.com/aircraft/maintenance-providers/mro/article/21136755/mapping-magnetic-mro Back to Top 124,000 aviation jobs could go within months unless government provides support, says report Up to 124,000 jobs in the UK's aviation industry and its supply chains are at risk of disappearing in just three months because of the coronavirus, according to new research. Without government bailouts designed around protecting workers, a minimum of 70,000 jobs are likely to go, a report from the New Economics Foundation found. Of those, 39,000 are directly employed in aviation, with the remainder in the supply chain such as engineers and duty free shop assistants. The scale of job losses is on a par with the collapse of Britain's coal industry in 1980-81, and the report's authors warned that the true number is likely to be higher by the end of the financial year next April. The report, written jointly with the Trades Union Congress, aviation unions and climate action charity Possible, calls on the government to expand its existing coronavirus job retention scheme to include specific help for aviation industry workers. Proposals include retraining staff whose jobs are vulnerable, with some of the costs being covered by future taxes on the sector. To ensure the public gets a fair return for any taxpayer money invested, the NEF recommends that the government takes an equity stake in businesses that are bailed out, with conditions attached to limit executive pay and shareholder dividends while requiring investment in green technology and carbonisation. Airlines have been among the biggest beneficiaries of government-backed loans, with Ryanair, easyJet and British Airways borrowing £1.5bn through a Bank of England credit facility. The report points out that after the financial crisis, passenger numbers took seven years to recover to their previous peak. In that time, airlines cut the number of staff per passenger to reduce costs, a pattern that is predicted to be repeated after this crisis. If the sector were to stagnate for the next five years, at least 12 per cent of jobs would go, the report's authors estimate. Service cutbacks, automation and other technological developments will mean 17,000 people need to permanently leave the sector to find work elsewhere, the NEF said. Airlines have already announced thousands of job cuts since the Covid-19 crisis began. BA said in April that it planned to cut 12,000 of its 42,000-strong workforce, while Ryanair is making 3,000 workers redundant and easyJet is cutting around 30 per cent of its staff. Frances O'Grady, General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), said: "Aviation is a critical part of our economic infrastructure and it supports tens of thousands of good jobs. The sector has already been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic and the implementation of the quarantine period is a further blow. "We cannot consign these workers to the despair of unemployment. "Aviation needs immediate support - and not just to protect the incomes of billionaire airline owners. Government must act now to protect workers' jobs and livelihoods, to support the longer-term viability of the sector and to facilitate a just-transition to lower-carbon operations." Alex Chapman, Researcher at the New Economics Foundation, said: "The aviation industry faces job losses on a par with the worst years of the UK coal industry decline in the 1980s. "We must take lessons from that period, and the financial crisis in 07/08 and do a better job of protecting the wellbeing of workers and communities. "There are rock solid social and economic reasons for preventing the spike in unemployment which is being threatened by aviation bosses, and instead investing heavily in retraining and upskilling aviation workers to prepare them for a new normal, and the rapid decarbonisation of the UK economy." https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/airline-job-cuts-losses-aviation-flights-cancelled-coronavirus-bailout-a9558931.html Back to Top Green Aviation Initiatives Awarded by Solar Impulse Foundation Solar Impulse Foundation has awarded its Efficient Solutions label, certifying clean technologies that are profitable while protecting the environment, to three US-based aviation solutions. ZeroAvia in Hollister, California developed a zero-emission hydrogen electric aviation powertrain that can be installed on new aircraft and retrofitted to existing, already certified airframes, significantly lowering certification hurdles. Strategic partnerships enable integration with third-party components such as electric motors, inverters, H2 fuel cells and hydrogen tanks. Additional partnerships will allow ZeroAvia to source green hydrogen produced by electrolysis directly on-site in order to significantly lower fuel costs for airlines. The company anticipates Operations & Maintenance cost reduction of 50-60%. United Aircraft Technologies, Inc. in Troy, New York, has introduced a smart sensor network designed to monitor the integrity of aircraft wiring. The system provides data on amperage leaks, electromagnetic interference, radiation, harmonic threats, temperature, humidity, pressure, and more while correlating gathered information to pre-diagnose for predictive maintenance. Smart interconnecting clamps reduce weight, improve safety, simplify maintenance, and reduce the impact of CO2 emissions. Clamps are, on average, 65-70% lighter than current metal clamps. Considering that some aircraft have up to 15,000 clamps, the smart network enables significant fuel and time savings. LanzaTech in Skokie, Illinois received the Solar Impulse Efficient Solutions label for its carbon recycling technology that turns carbon waste emissions into ethanol, and converts it into a drop-in jet fuel. Reducing airplane CO2 emissions throughout the aviation industry is an environmental priority for airlines and governments. The company cites potential to displace 30% of crude oil, reducing global CO2 emissions by 7%. "The Solar Impulse Foundation is working to accelerate the adoption of clean and profitable technologies in mobility, energy, manufacturing, agriculture, cities and overall infrastructure," says Dr. Bertrand Piccard, founder and chairman of the Solar Impulse Foundation, who flew around the world in a solar-powered airplane and has been promoting profitable clean technologies since the year 2000. "The round-the world flight was possible through solar energy that powered the plane during the day and charged the batteries for night flight. The difference now is that clean technology is often more profitable than the old ways of doing things. Therefore, the global economy has everything to win in becoming sustainable and circular," Piccard added. To learn more about the Solar Impulse Foundation's Solutions for Clean Aviation, visit https://solarimpulse.com/air-france https://www.aviationpros.com/engines-components/aircraft-engines/electric-green-engine-technology/press-release/21141545/solar-impulse-foundation-green-aviation-initiatives-awarded-by-solar-impulse-foundation Back to Top IATA says 2020 losses will be biggest in aviation history as COVID-19 lays waste to travel The world's leading trade group for the airline industry said Tuesday (9 June) that global airlines will lose more money than ever before because of the COVID-19 pandemic, border closures and a near total shutdown of international flights. The one bright spot is air cargo, but even that is slowing, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). In its weekly media conference call, IATA Chief Economist Brian Pearce said the association was expecting, as it said previously, that April air traffic would be the "low point" around the world barring a second wave of the virus arising and the world could expect to see a "phased reopening" of domestic, regional and international markets depending upon how deep the economic crisis facing the world goes because of the pandemic. Pearce said the world could expect a "fairly decent rise in traffic in the second half of the year" because there was "considerable pent-up demand for travel". He said cargo traffic was still in strong demand but would still see a 28 percent drop in air cargo volume for the year. IATA's Pearce said the grounding of the world's passenger fleet had created a "crunch" in belly-hold cargo and there was a capacity shortage in cargo relative to demand. He added: "While (cargo) rates have risen and revenues are higher today than compared to last year, for airlines that's not enough". Pearce also said the amount of debt airlines are incurring just to remain solvent is a problem and while some governments have stepped in with aid, that assistance sometime carries conditions that will make it hard to airlines to return to profit for years. He estimated that the world's airlines will have a total of US$550 billion in debt by the end of 2020. IATA officials said on the call that global airlines will not return to profit until at least 2022 or 2023 simply because countries around the world will be slow to open their borders to international traffic. "Our research shows that people will return to flying as soon as borders open. That is why we worked for and strongly support ICAO's Take-off plan to re-start aviation. We must be prepared for the eventual recovery with global measures that are universally implemented. That will give governments the confidence to open borders. And it should give passengers the confidence to fly," said IATA Director General Alexandre de Juniac. "In March we had a disorderly shut-down of the industry. The ICAO guidelines, agreed by governments, are at the core of an orderly re-start-provided the guidelines are universally implemented, harmonised and mutually recognised. This would be a stark contrast to post 9/11 when everybody essentially did their own thing and we have spent 20 years sorting out the differences. And the other re-assuring development compared to 9.11 is the agreement that measures are temporary and will be evaluated often-as science, technology and medicine advance. With a continuous updating-including the removal of measures no longer needed for safety-passenger confidence should remain high," de Juniac said. https://asianaviation.com/iata-says-2020-losses-will-be-biggest-in-aviation-history/ Back to Top New aviation record: Turkey's Bayraktar drone completes 200,000-hour flight time Turkey's indigenous armed drone (UAV) Bayraktar TB2 has completed 200,000 hours of operational flight hours, becoming the first domestically developed aerial vehicle to achieve such an extensive flight time in the nation's aviation history, chief technology officer of Baykar, the developer of the TB2, announced late Tuesday. "Another record of our national aviation history has been broken ... #BayraktarTB2. With patience, love, perseverance, Bayraktar TB2 has been on duty for 200,000 hours in the sky for Turkey. This is the longest time on duty for a national aircraft. Free and independent in our sky," Selçuk Bayraktar said on Twitter. Developed and produced locally, Bayraktar TB2 stands out as one of the most advanced UAV systems in its class, with its advanced electronics, software, aerodynamic design, submarine systems, as well as flight automation and performance. Bayraktar TB2 is a medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) and tactical unmanned aerial vehicle capable of performing active reconnaissance, surveillance and intelligence flights and armed attack missions. The drone has the ability to transmit images to operation centers without delay and engage targets. It boasts a service ceiling of 8,239 meters (27,030 feet) and a flight endurance of up to 27 hours. It can carry 150 kilograms (330 pounds) of payload and can be operated day and night. An onboard avionic suite with a triple-redundant avionic system encompasses units, enabling a fully autonomous taxiing, takeoff, landing and cruise. The drone was first delivered to the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) in 2014 and upgraded with armament for the first time in 2015. It is currently used by the Gendarmerie General Command, General Directorate of Security Forces and the National Intelligence Organization in their operations. Playing an active role in detecting, diagnosing and neutralizing thousands of terrorists to date, Bayraktar TB2 has provided extensive support to the country's fight against terror while providing effective surveillance, reconnaissance and fire support to the security forces. Baykar has also developed Akıncı, the newest unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV). The Akıncı UCAV's prototype PT-1 made its second flight on Jan. 10, while the second prototype PT-2's integration has recently been completed. Able to fly for up to 24 hours, the drone has a maximum altitude of 40,000 feet with a 20-meter wingspan and a load capacity of 1,350 kilograms. Akıncı's maximum takeoff weight is 5,500 kilograms. It has two 450-horsepower engines but can be equipped with 750-horsepower engines or locally made 240-horsepower engines. With the Akıncı UCAV, Turkey will become one of the three countries capable of producing this drone class. https://www.dailysabah.com/business/defense/new-aviation-record-turkeys-bayraktar-drone-completes-200000-hour-flight-time Back to Top Boeing looks forward to building on multi-faceted relationship with China Boeing looks forward to building on a multi-faceted relationship with China, said Stan Deal, president and chief executive officer of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, on Wednesday. "We are honored to be a part of this dynamic ecosystem. China represents for Boeing a valued customer, a key collaborator and a formidable competitor. We look forward to building on this multi-faceted relationship as the aviation industry recovers and returns to growth," Deal said in a written interview with Xinhua. Chinese manufacturers supply parts to many commercial jet models while advancing their own designs. Chinese regulators are at the forefront of promoting aviation safety by perfecting existing practices and pioneering new ones, Deal noted. He said that Boeing Commercial Airplanes still sees a long runway ahead as China remains on track to become the largest aviation marketplace in the world. Boeing will deepen the existing engagement by collaborating with partners and identifying win-win solutions across China with a focus on manufacturing, maintenance and repair, research and technology, and other areas, according to Deal. Strengthening cooperation with China's aviation sector brings mutual benefits as Chinese companies have now supplied world-class components to more than 10,000 Boeing airplanes. In turn, one of four Boeing commercial airplanes has been destined for the Chinese market in recent years. "To prepare for the future, we are extending programs that have trained nearly 100,000 Chinese aviation professionals and our 'Soaring with Your Dream' initiative that has reached more than 120,000 students and thousands of teachers to inspire them about aviation," said Deal. The company will also continue to invest in joint research to advance technological breakthroughs to reduce carbon emissions, including commercializing sustainable aviation fuels and improving air-traffic management efficiency, he added. "Our collaboration across these areas will continue to help us grow together and serve as a powerful engine for expansion in our respective countries," Deal said. http://www.ecns.cn/business/2020-06-11/detail-ifzwzeax1203359.shtml Back to Top VTOL Aviation Startup Lilium Completes $35M Funding Round from Investment Firm Baillie Gifford One day in the future, people might summon an aircraft the same way they hail a ride on the ground. Ride-hailing giant Uber for example, developing electric vertical take off and landing (VTOL) aircraft that can pickup passengers on building "skyports" in urban areas, as part of the company's planned Uber Air aerial ridesharing service. Breakthroughs in electric VTOL technology have given rise to a number of promising new aviation startups. In Germany, one such company is Lilium, which is developing advanced VTOL aircraft designed for commercial air mobility services, such as Uber's planned air taxi service. Lilium announced on Monday a new investment management partnership which adds UK-based Baillie Gifford as a new investor. The partnership has invested $35 million in Lilium, extending the aviation startup's current funding round to more than $275 million, and more than $375 million to date. Baillie Gifford is known for investing in high-impact technology companies such as Amazon, Tesla, SpaceX, Airbnb and Spotify. "Baillie Gifford is one of the world's most influential tech investors and their commitment to Lilium represents a significant vote of confidence in both our physical product and our business case." said Christopher Delbrück, Chief Financial Officer, Lilium. "We look forward to working closely with Baillie Gifford as we seek to bring emissions-free, regional air mobility to the market as early as 2025," Delbrück added. Its the second big investment for Lilium in the past three months. In March, Lilium announced it had received $240 million in funding from existing investors including Chinese company Tencent, Atomico, Freigeist and private banking company LGT Group. Tencent led the latest investment round. The new funds will support the further development of Limium's VTOL Jet, as well as preparations for production of the Jet in Lilium's newly-completed manufacturing facilities. Lilium plans to operate a regional air mobility service within the next five years. Lilium was named as one of Europe's most innovative companies in 2020 by Fast Company. The company was founded in 2015. The Lilium Jet The Lilium jet is a 5-passenger (4 passengers and a pilot) VTOL aircraft with a top speed of 186 mph and a flying range of 300 kilometers (186 miles). The aircraft is powered by 36 electric motors. The Jet's "electric engines" as Lilium calls them, are designed to be quiet, with air ducts that dissipate noise before it leaves the engine. Since the Lilium is much quieter than a helicopter, it can be flown lower over urban areas without creating a noise disturbance for the residents below. The quiet electric engines also deliver a more comfortable experience for passengers. The engines face downward like a rocket to enable vertical take-off, then swing to a horizontal position for flight. Once in the air, lift is provided by the Lilium Jet's wings and the electric jets are used solely for propulsion. "While still at an early stage, we believe this technology could have profound and far-reaching benefits in a low-carbon future and we are excited to watch Lilium's progress in the years ahead," said Michael Pye, Investment Manager at Baillie Gifford. The Lilium Jet five seater all-electric air taxi The Lilium Jet can provide aerial transportation that's much faster than traveling by train or on the roads, yet still competitive in price. Lilium envisions connecting communities at a fraction of the cost of conventional high-speed infrastructure, with zero operating emissions. Lilium is headquartered in Munich and currently employs more than 450 people. The electric VTOL sector has attracted other big investments recently. In January, California-based Joby Aviation, founded in 2009, announced a $590 million round led by automaker Toyota, bringing its total raised to $720 million. Like Lilium, Joby is developing electric VTOL aircraft for air taxi services. https://www.futurecar.com/3968/VTOL-Aviation-Startup-Lilium-Completes-$35M-Funding-Round-from-Investment-Firm-Baillie-Gifford Back to Top Dimer Lands Strategic Partnership With Honeywell Bringing Its "GermFalcon" Product-Line To Airline Recovery LOS ANGELES, June 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Dimer LLC announces that it has entered into an exclusive, worldwide strategic partnership with Honeywell International Inc. to bring germicidal UV lighting technology to the Aerospace industry. The arrangement brings Dimer's 6-year development of GermFalcon, now branded as the Honeywell UV Cabin System, to global aviation. This strategic partnership will separately enable Dimer to further commercialize and deploy its germicidal UV technology platform known as UVHammer for healthcare. This breakthrough application of germicidal UV is expected to benefit public transportation, education, hospitality, buildings, theaters and arenas, and small businesses alike. Dimer is an innovator in germicidal UV light technologies to reduce pathogens in healthcare, transportation and shared spaces. Although limited testing has been done specifically as to effectivity against COVID-19, clinical tests show that, properly applied, germicidal UV light can reduce various bacteria and viruses on exposed surfaces. The technology is non-toxic, uses no chemicals and is sustainable. "We are excited to work with Honeywell. This positions our GermFalcon system in the hands of a leader in worldwide aerospace design, production and sales. We look forward to Honeywell quickly making this technology available to airlines and other aircraft operators so the industry can begin its recovery," says Elliot M. Kreitenberg, Cofounder and President of Dimer LLC. Dimer expects to bring the UVHammer to market for a multitude of non-Aerospace vertical applications in July. About Dimer LLC Founded in 2014, Los Angeles-based Dimer LLC invents cutting-edge germicidal UV light disinfection systems for commercial airplanes, healthcare facilities, and the International Space Station. The company's mission is to set new, higher standards for public health in transportation and shared spaces. Visit www.germfalcon.com and YouTube channel www.youtube.com/dimeruvc for more information. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dimer-lands-strategic-partnership-with-honeywell-bringing-its-germfalcon-product-line-to-airline-recovery-301073747.html Back to Top SpaceX rockets fly with software you can find on your Android phone The software packages SpaceX uses inside its Falcon rockets, Dragon capsules and Starlink satellites are close cousins to programs that may be on your PC or phone. NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley used the foundation of Google's Chrome browser -- the most widely used browser in the world -- every time they tapped the touchscreens that controlled the Crew Dragon capsule as it flew to the International Space Station on the last two days of May. And each SpaceX rocket and satellite uses a variation of the Linux operating system that powers each of the world's billions of Android phones. In a Reddit AMA that took place as Hurley and Behnken help out on the space station, SpaceX programmers revealed how Elon Musk's company has worked to modernize its part of the space industry, a field that still relies on technology dating back decades. Software is less visible than some of the company's imagination-grabbing hardware, like booster rockets that return to Earth and land themselves. But it's every bit as important, because it controls all aspects of space flight. For example, software runs the SpaceX emergency abort sequence that lofts the Crew Dragon capsule away in the event a Falcon rocket explodes. Crew Dragon's Chromium interface SpaceX uses Chromium, Google's open-source foundation for the Chrome web browser, for the touchscreen user interface on the Crew Dragon, said Sofian Hnaide, a developer who worked on the Crew Dragon display technology used in the Demo-2 launch that carried the two astronauts to the space station. SpaceX began the effort to demonstrate its design ideas to NASA, but SpaceX stuck with it. "We liked all the modern features that comes with browsers out of the box," Hnaide said during the AMA, adding that Chromium gave SpaceX access to lots of programmers already skilled with the technology. That means a web app written in HTML and JavaScript, just like millions of websites, is showing the astronauts what they need to see, and interpreting their taps and swipes. That's a departure from traditional aerospace programming methods using lower-level languages. Touchscreens exemplify SpaceX's modernized computing approach, but the Dragon capsule also has more traditional hardware buttons for critical actions like responding to a cabin fire, said Wendy Shimata, who manages the Dragon software team. Linux inside Starlink The Chromium-based interface connects to vehicle control software written in the C++ language and running on the open-source Linux operating system. SpaceX maintains its own Linux variant, said Josh Sulkin, leader of software design for SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule, but it's a close cousin to the version running inside every Android phone. SpaceX modifies Linux to support the company's own hardware. It also enables real-time Linux options, which helps ensure the software responds to input reliably and quickly. For Starlink, SpaceX's growing network of satellites to deliver internet access to computers on Earth, "each launch of 60 satellites contains more than 4,000 Linux computers," Sulkin said. Most of those govern tiny computers called microcontrollers with narrow but often important responsibilities. "The constellation has more than 30,000 Linux nodes (and more than 6,000 microcontrollers) in space right now," he said, referring to a computing system that's part of a larger group working in parallel. Modern methods SpaceX incorporates not just modern software, but also modern software development methods like frequent updates. SpaceX updates its Starlink software weekly, said Matt Monson, who leads Starlink software work and previously worked on the company's Dragon. "By the time we launch a batch of satellites, they're usually on a build that already [is] older than what's on the rest of the constellation," he said. "On this kind of project, pace of innovation is everything." SpaceX also held a week-long hackathon with astronauts Behnken and Hurley, letting them try the software during the day, then rebuilding it each night to incorporate their feedback for the next day's tests. SpaceX also uses A/B testing, which lets the company test changes on a subset of satellites, he said. It's a method widely used in more conventional programming, for example to gauge whether a website loads faster. Updates can be critical. "We've had many instances where a satellite on orbit had a failure we'd never even conceived of before, but was able to keep itself safe long enough for us to debug it, figure out a fix or a workaround, and push up a software update," Monson said. That isn't to say software is fluid. The Crew Dragon software was locked down months before launch. SpaceX computer security Modern software means modern software problems, like security. SpaceX uses several security methods to keep its spacecraft, systems and data safe, said Jeff Dexter, who runs SpaceX's flight software and cybersecurity programs. For example, SpaceX uses end-to-end encryption to protect data sent to and from Starlink satellites from interception, and all hardware runs software signed by SpaceX to help block outside software, he said. It also runs automated tests to hunt for problems in software. "We have a dedicated team that identifies how our vehicles and satellites could be hacked so we can eliminate or prohibit these sorts of threats when we're building our vehicles," Dexter said. Even what SpaceX programmers do for fun sounds serious. One Redditor asked if they play Kerbal Space Program, a spaceflight simulator game good for those who enjoy orbital mechanics. "Of course we play KSP," Hnaide said. https://www.cnet.com/news/spacex-rockets-fly-with-software-you-can-find-on-your-android-phone/ Curt Lewis