July 2, 2020 - No. 048 In This Issue PIA barred from flying to Birmingham, London Heathrow and Manchester airports Pandemic Impact on Aviation Maintenance: Final Call for Survey Responses Ultra-Persistent Skydweller Aero Announces Oklahoma City as Headquarters Avionics, Airplane OEMs Continue to Expand Aircraft Interface Device Innovation IAI Lays Off 900 in Corona Cuts GA Telesis Engine Services ("GATES") Announces Opening of a New State-of-the-Art Aircraft Engine Hospital Inflite Adds Bombardier Global Express Mx Support. Thailand's travel slump clouds outlook for $9bn 'Airport City' EasyJet plans to cut 727 pilot jobs and close three UK bases SpaceX launches third GPS Block III satellite PIA barred from flying to Birmingham, London Heathrow and Manchester airports British Civil Aviation Agency on Tuesday barred Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight operations from three airports - Birmingham, London Heathrow and Manchester after the European Union Air Safety Agency (EASA) suspended airline's TCO Authorisation. The EASA suspended PIA's air operations permit for a period of six months over concerns that Pakistan is " not capable to certify and oversee its airline operators". It comes after the grounding of 262 Pakistani pilots whose licences aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan termed "dubious". A spokesperson for the UK authorit told The News: "Following the decision on June 30, 2020, by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to suspend permission for Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to operate services to the European Union, PIA flights from Birmingham, London Heathrow and Manchester airports are suspended with immediate effect. "The UK Civil Aviation Authority is required under law to withdraw PIA's permit to operate to the UK pending EASA's restoration of their approval that it meets international air safety standards." UK consumers intending to travel via PIA flights from either of these airports have been advised to follow instructions provided here. A spokesperson for PIA confirmed the development in a conversation with Geo.tv. He said, "EU has suspended PIA for six months, starting from July 1, 2020. This ban comes in the aftermath of the pilots' licence controversy which severely disrupted the confidence of the EU." The spokesperson said that PIA was dedicated to implement new confidence building measures and would try to get this decision reversed as soon as possible. As far as the same development in the UK was concerned, the spokesperson said he had not received official correspondence in that regard as of the present moment. There are over 1.6 million British Pakistanis in the UK who regularly travel between the UK and Pakistan. Previously, PIA flew 25 flights to the UK every week with 7,500 passengers flying. Prime Minister Imran Khan told the parliament he would reform PIA and other government institutions. "I want to tell my nation: We have no other option, reforms are inevitable," he said Tuesday. Aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan said reforms aimed at restructuring PIA would be completed by the end of the year. On May 22, a PIA flight crashed into houses in Karachi, killing 97 of 99 people aboard the plane and a child on the ground. Investigators blamed two pilots, who were chatting about the coronavirus while they first attempted to land the Airbus A320 without putting its wheels down. UAE sends lists for scrutiny of credentials Separately, the United Arab Emirates has requested Pakistan to verify the licenses of the personnel working in the oil producing country's airports - pilots, maintenance engineers and flight operations officers. The head of UAE's aviation body, in a letter to Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority's director-general, said: "In the wake of recent announcements by the Minister of Aviation of Pakistan [...] We request your offices to verify the licensing credentials" of those pilots who are working in UAE based on qualifications issued by CAA. The UAE also demanded that Pakistan clarify which of the personnel had fake licenses and who were suspects. "We also request a clarification between fake and suspect cases, if any, so we may take immediate actions," it read. "Additionally, the UAE employs a number of Aircraft Maintenance Engineers and Flight Operations Officers who converted their respective licences issued by Civil Aviation Authority," the letter added. The aviation authority requested "confirmation" for whether the "integrity" of the aforementioned types of personnel was compromised in any way. The aviation body, along with the letter, has attached a list of nearly 50 airport personnel for scrutiny. https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/680073-pia-barred-from-flying-to-birmingham-london-heathrow-and-manchester-airports Back to Top Pandemic Impact on Aviation Maintenance: Final Call for Survey Responses The Aeronautical Repair Station Association has issued its "final call" for responses to "Part II" of its annual industry survey, which focuses on pandemic impacts and recovery planning for the maintenance community. The survey, which opened on June 5, has collected more than 100 responses from aviation businesses. ARSA is grateful to those who have provided insight and hopes to add to their responses before closing the collection window on July 2. It is open to the entire industry, not just ARSA members. Response data will help ARSA set priorities and advocate for the industry on Capitol Hill and with regulators around the world. The survey has 23 questions. Responses are confidential and are reported only in an aggregate format. Open-ended responses will not be attributed to a respondent or connected to any other answers given by that individual. It asks for a company name for data management purposes and provides each respondent with the opportunity to provide contact information for further collaboration. If you have any questions, please contact ARSA at arsa@arsa.org. To complete the survey, copy and paste https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ARSA-2020Impacts into your internet browser. https://www.aviationpros.com/education-training/trade-associations-events/press-release/21144304/aeronautical-repair-station-association-arsa-pandemic-impact-on-aviation-maintenance-final-call-for-survey-responses Back to Top Ultra-Persistent Skydweller Aero Announces Oklahoma City as Headquarters Skydweller Aero, a developer of ultra-persistent drones for commercial and military applications, has chosen Oklahoma City as its corporate headquarters, with plans to increase operations to 120 aerospace engineering and field technician jobs by 2024. Founded by John Parkes and Robert Miller, Skydweller purchased the assets and intellectual property of the Swiss Solar Impulse project, which invested $190 million in developing experimental aircraft that in 2016 proved capable of circumnavigating the globe using only solar power. Skydweller is in the process of converting the Solar Impulse design from a manned aircraft to an autonomous drone, capable of 'dwelling' over a location for months at a time without the need for refueling or maintenance work. To accomplish this, Skydweller has a 72-meter wing span covered with 2,900 sq. ft. of photovoltaic cells, which provide 2 kilowatts of power. Hydrogen fuel cells can be added for extra reliability, especially in poor weather conditions. Skydweller can cruise up to 100 kts and has an operational ceiling of 45,931 ft. With 800 lbs of payload capacity, the drone can carry more radar and camera equipment than a MQ-1 Predator, whose primary role is reconnaissance and surveillance, though not as much as an MQ-9 Reaper, which often carries armaments as well. "There are certainly differentiated missions that Skydweller can do that no other aircraft can do, but the core of it really is doing things that we do today better, smarter, cheaper, more effectively," co-founder John Parkes told Avionics. "And that is communications - being a node in the sky whether for the military and first responder market or for the telecom world. And for the military specifically, doing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions from an airborne perspective more effectively." The U.S. Air Force recently announced it is looking for a Reaper replacement - called "MQ-X" - to enter service around 2031. Though the Skydweller wouldn't be able to fulfill all of the capabilities of the Reaper, as it isn't designed to carry armaments, it could offer greatly reduced complexity and operating costs for ISR missions. "Being able to fly thousands of miles, persist over an area for 30-60 days and fly back is a differentiator," said Parkes. "It's a huge cost savings to the U.S. government when you look at the whole cost of doing a lot of the national security missions that we have." In addition to reducing requirements for operating bases, Skydweller would require exponentially fewer takeoffs and landings than an MQ-1 or MQ-9, reducing the need for multiple platforms flying in a conveyer belt as well as associated maintenance costs. "For us, if you're flying 90 days with one aircraft, that's two takeoffs and landings versus ... hundreds," Parkes said. Outside of military applications, Skydweller's medium-altitude, ultra-long endurance (MALE) drone could also provide cost-effective connectivity for remote populations. Though space-based connectivity solutions are improving, such as SpaceX's low Earth orbit Starlink constellation, an aircraft at medium altitude will offer significantly more efficient use of spectrum than satellites more than 300 miles above the surface, Parkes said. Though Parkes doesn't expect the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) or European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to finish their integration of unmanned aircraft into manned airspace any time soon, he believes governments will be interested in using Skydweller for communications applications to grant waivers. The aircraft is being designed to meet FAA Part 23 certification requirements. Advancements in solar cells, batteries and other technologies driven by Tesla and SpaceX's Elon Musk and numerous other players has rendered most of Skydweller's development a "systems engineering exercise," Parkes told Avionics - aside from its autonomy systems and ultra-redundant flight control systems, which comprised the bulk of the company's engineering investment. Skydweller raised $32 million in its Series A, including investment from Italian aerospace giant Leonardo, which owns about 17 percent of the company and controls one of seven board seats. Leonardo will also lead military relationships for the company in the United Kingdom, Poland, and Italy. https://www.aviationtoday.com/2020/06/30/ultra-persistent-skydweller-aero-announces-oklahoma-city-as-headquarters/ Back to Top Avionics, Airplane OEMs Continue to Expand Aircraft Interface Device Innovation Avionics and aircraft manufacturers are expanding the scope and capability set of aircraft interface devices (AID), which have become a key technology within modern connected aircraft networks, according to presentations given by experts from Bombardier and Collins Aerospace during a panel featured as part of last week's Global Connected Cabin Chats web series. Early adoption of AID technology primarily served the purpose of providing some basic electronic flight bag (EFB) functionality, along with acquisition and transmission of flight and maintenance operations quality assurance data, according to Jason Marmur, business development manager for Collins Aerospace. However, new capabilities are being unlocked as more aircraft operators adopt them and customize them to their flight operational and maintenance needs. "If you actually look at everything an AID is capable of providing to your operation, you can see there is so much more that it can do," Marmur said during the "Connected ROI: Aircraft Interface Devices" Cabin Chats session. "Aircraft health data, weather data from the ground, cabin data, navigation database uploads, trajectory based operations and advanced EFB applications like flight profile optimization, can also be enabled with AIDs." The expansion in functionality of the AID as it is known today in the avionics industry will continue to be driven by its use of the ARINC 834 standard, which serves as a data communication protocol, or interface, between certified avionics systems and non-certified tablet EFBs, according to Marmur. Using ARINC 834, an AID can provide a subscription-based EFB application with access to aircraft data parameters in both read and write mode. In this way, it can also access all of the ARINC 717 data that airlines are required to capture and record in flight data recorders. "Today's AID technology has a number of ARINC 429, 717 discrete Ethernet connections, so you make one 429 connection to your [multimode receiver] MMR, your GPS system, another one to the [flight management computer] FMC, and yet another discrete to the weight on wheels to know when to enable wireless for example. As far as our implementation goes at Collins, we provide a software development kit to help determine what data needs to be recorded and where it needs to be sent. This is how the use cases for AIDs will continue to expand beyond what they were thought to be in their earliest days," Marmur said. The number of AIDs and associated applications and technologies available from avionics suppliers has expanded in recent years as well. Collins, for example, provides its InteliSight electronic flight folder, designed to give users the ability to do flight planning, performance tracking and access to weather data with real time updates. The company's Secure Server Router (SSR-7000) Electronic Flight Bag Interface and Communication Unit (EICU) also features an embedded router capable of wirelessly connecting EFB applications to onboard aircraft and external connectivity networks, and has a built-in AID. Astronics has also had its own webFB AID available for several years, serving as a communications bridge between Boeing 737NG ARINC 429 and 717 data feeds and wireless EFB applications. Boeing, through the avionics division it created in 2018, also introduced a software-configurable AID last year as standard on all new in-production commercial airplane models. Honeywell Aerospace introduced its aircraft data gateway in 2017 that also provides the type of AID functionality discussed throughout the Cabin Chats session. Teledyne is another supplier of AIDs that has continuously expanded the technology's capabilities in recent years, including a 2019 partnership with Viasat that enables the use of satellite-based connectivity to stream Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) messages in real-time. Avionica has also become well known for the continued growth in deployment and functionality for its interface device technology. Bombardier is in the process of adding Avionica's aviONS technology as a free upgrade to all of its in-service aircraft, under its Smart Link Plus upgrade program first launched at the 2019 NBAA Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (BACE). Their goal with the upgrade program is to give owners of older Challengers and Learjet models the opportunity to access their flight and maintenance data faster and in a way that is customized to their specific flight operational structure. Mike Blackman, connected aircraft business strategy and services specialist for Bombardier Business Aircraft, believes one of the next changes coming to how interface device technology works within aircraft is the business model associated with the various types of services that can be enabled and managed using an AID. "The models are evolving, if you put this device on your aircraft, some of us become your TV service provider you have a box and then you pay for the services that you're going to use," Blackman said during the Cabin Chats series question and answer session. "There has to be some kind of service subscription around it, because there are more services you can get based on what you'd like to do, on an aircraft level we want to improve performance and maintenance, that's a basic level, but the business model it is a subscription type service." https://www.aviationtoday.com/2020/06/30/avionics-airplane-oems-continue-expand-aircraft-interface-device-innovation/ Back to Top IAI Lays Off 900 in Corona Cuts YERUSHALAYIM - Israel Aerospace Industries has decided to lay off 900 employees in its Aviation Group, Globes reported Wednesday, citing sources commenting on a board of directors meeting last week. The necessity of reducing the workforce was attributed to financial losses related to the coronavirus pandemic, which have added to losses recorded over a prior 10-year period. During that time, the Group posted a staggering $600 million in losses and in 2019, there were no profits. The Aviation Group has 5,000 employees out of a total of 16,000 at IAI. The Aviation Group performs maintenance on aircraft, and manufactures executive jets and aircraft parts. IAI's profitable defense section effectively subsidizes the Aviation Group, but current conditions make the situation no longer sustainable. Meanwhile, IAI announced that CEO Nimrod Sheffer is leaving the company after just two years in the job. Sheffer, 59, joined IAI as VP Strategic Planning at the start of 2018 after 36 years of military service as a combat pilot in the air force. Before coming to IAI he had risen to head of the IDF Planning Division. The reason for his departure was not explained, and despite Sheffer being credited with achieving good results for IAI during his tenure. Sheffer praised IAI employees as "the spearhead of the Israeli industry, the crème de la crème." https://hamodia.com/2020/07/01/iai-lays-off-900-corona-cuts/ Back to Top GA Telesis Engine Services ("GATES") Announces Opening of a New State-of-the-Art Aircraft Engine Hospital Shop - SPAH HELSINKI, July 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- GA Telesis Engine Services OY ("GATES"), the engine heavy maintenance unit of global aviation integrator GA Telesis, LLC, announces the establishment of its dedicated Aircraft Engine Hospital Shop, focusing on specialized aircraft engine repairs requiring limited or targeted maintenance. The Special Procedures Aero-Engine Hospital ("SPAH") will be one of the few in the world with integrated test cell facilities capable of testing engines of up to 100,000 lbs of thrust. SPAH will focus solely on repairs that will allow the company to provide a streamlined approach, real-time engine evaluations, and troubleshooting. Furthermore, SPAH will include a mobile response team that will concentrate on engine field maintenance and on-wing support. SPAH will be operating as an independent business unit at the GATES facility in Helsinki and will be led by Aarno Hakanen, Head of SPAH. "Aarno brings 30 years of experience in engine maintenance with him. This, along with our highly experienced team of mechanics, planners, and engineers, will enable SPAH to provide our customers with Intelligent, tailor-made solutions," says Carsten Holm, Chief Operating Officer at GATES. "We experienced an increased demand in the market for a dedicated repair shop in Europe, offering slots that focus solely on minor repairs, test cell runs, and end of lease inspections. Launching this new product allows us to provide both the Airline and the Leasing communities a unique, cost-effective service with reduced turnaround time." SPAH will initially target the GE CF6-80C2B, CFM56-5B and CFM56-7B product lines. Over the next 18 months, the company plans to add the IAE V2500-A5, P&W PW4000-94/100, GE CF6-80E1, and CF34-8/10 engine lines to their capabilities. The dedicated FAA/EASA/CAAC/TCCA/GACA/ANAC/ECAA approved facility will initially be capable of offering the following services: · MPD tasks · Compressor Rear Frame repairs · Engine Lease return inspections · Engine storage and preservation · QEC installations · Airworthiness Directives · Boroblend repairs · Service Bulletin implementation · Top Case repairs · Engine Module changes · Accessory Gearbox repairs · Engine test and thrust conversions · Hot section repairs · Engine troubleshooting About GA Telesis Engines Services GA Telesis Engine Services is a wholly-owned, full-service aircraft engine overhaul and repair station based in Helsinki, Vantaa Airport. It specializes in CFM International and General Electric jet engines for the Airbus A320 family, Boeing 737NG Family, 767-300ER, and 747-400 aircraft. GATES has the capacity to overhaul up to 200 jet engines per year. GATES Go-Team is also one of the few companies authorized by EASA to remotely perform repairs on engines that are installed on aircraft. For further information: please contact marketing@gatelesis.com https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ga-telesis-engine-services-gates-announces-opening-of-a-new-state-of-the-art-aircraft-engine-hospital-shop---spah-301087030.html Back to Top Inflite Adds Bombardier Global Express Mx Support Inflite The Jet Centre (IFJC) at London Stansted Airport has added line and base maintenance capabilities for Bombardier BD700-series aircraft under its Part 145 EASA repair station rating, the FBO and MRO announced this week. BD700-series aircraft that IFJC can now support include the Global Express, XRS, and Global 5000 aircraft. "This is another important strategic step for Inflite The Jet Centre, following our acquisition of Bombardier MRO specialist Excellence Aviation early in 2019," said IFJC general manager Alan Barnes. "This latest accreditation expands the portfolio of aircraft types we can support and we look forward to working with, and supporting more Global Express operators in Europe and the Middle East." It also builds upon IFJC's capabilities to support other Bombardier aircraft lines such as the Challenger, Barnes noted. "This equips us well to serve demands for maintenance support on Bombardier platforms in the region and at our London Stansted home," he said. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2020-06-30/inflite-adds-bombardier-global-express-mx-support Back to Top Thailand's travel slump clouds outlook for $9bn 'Airport City' BANGKOK -- Thailand has pushed ahead with an ambitious airport expansion in the Bangkok region despite the plunge in air traffic during the coronavirus pandemic. The 290 billion baht ($9.4 billion) expansion of U-Tapao, dubbed the Eastern Airport City project, is part of a broader effort expected to double the total capacity of three airports around the Southeast Asian nation's capital to about 160 million passengers by 2024. The buildup is meant to boost tourism, a sector that contributes roughly 20% of Thailand's gross domestic product. Planners envision aviation-related businesses, such as aircraft maintenance, eventually rivaling the country's auto industry. But the coronavirus pandemic has dealt a blow to those assumptions. Thailand has essentially halted all international flights as part of virus-related travel restrictions. While 40 million foreign travelers flew into Thailand last year -- mainly Chinese tourists -- demand is not expected to recover completely until at least 2023, according to state-run Airports of Thailand. The airports risk being stuck with excess capacity when the expansions are complete. In a sign of the aviation industry's plight, Bangkok-based budget carrier NokScoot Airlines on Friday approved a plan to liquidate the company after just five years in business. In April, Airbus pulled out of a joint agreement with flag carrier Thai Airways International to develop an aircraft maintenance center due to the pandemic. Thai Airways filed for bankruptcy protection the following month. Maintenance facilities are a key part of the $9 billion project. Airport City will include an additional passenger terminal at U-Tapao airport 150 km southeast of Bangkok, a commercial plaza and a maintenance, repair and overhaul center for aircraft. The complex would be unique among Southeast Asian air hubs. But if airlines do not expand their fleets, the maintenance center and plans to attract investment in aircraft component production would be put at risk. A state development agency signed a 50-year operation and investment deal for Airport City on June 19 with a consortium of private interests, including Bangkok Airways. U-Tapao airport will "be the starting point for other ongoing projects which will help Thailand to grow steadily and sustainably in the future," Bangkok Airways CEO Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth said during the signing ceremony. Bangkok Airways suffered a net loss of 300 million baht during the quarter ended in March, compared with a profit of 500 million baht a year earlier. Earnings have continued to go south, and the airline has lobbied for government aid. The carrier is funding the U-Tapao work with out-of-pocket capital and credit from lenders. The airline's stock has tumbled 20% since the day of the signing ceremony, based on Monday's closing price. The two airports closer to Bangkok, Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi, also are undergoing expansion by their operator, Airports of Thailand. A high-speed rail link will connect the three airports in a one-hour trip. A consortium led by Thai conglomerate Charoen Pokphand Group is building the $7 billion line. This forms a major part of the Eastern Economic Corridor development zone, the centerpiece of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha's business agenda. Not everyone is pessimistic about the outlook for air travel. Kanit Sangsubhan, the secretary-general of Thailand's Eastern Economic Corridor office, predicts the aviation business will return to normal in one or two years, leaving no negative impact on the project. https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Transportation/Thailand-s-travel-slump-clouds-outlook-for-9bn-Airport-City Back to Top EasyJet plans to cut 727 pilot jobs and close three UK bases EasyJet is planning to make as many as one in three of its pilots redundant and close its bases at Stansted, Southend and Newcastle airports. The airline is planning to cut up to 727 pilot jobs and up to 1,200 cabin crew jobs across the UK. It started consultations with unions in the UK on Tuesday after announcing last month that it would be making a total of about 4,500 staff redundant across Europe. EasyJet's chief executive, Johan Lundgren, said: "These are very difficult proposals to put forward in what is an unprecedented and difficult time for the airline and the industry as a whole. "Unfortunately, the lower-demand environment means we need fewer aircraft and have less opportunity for work for our people. We are committed to working constructively with our employee representatives across the network with the aim of minimising job losses as far as possible." Other UK airlines are expecting to make a similar proportion of staff redundant, with BA cutting up to 12,000 jobs, and Virgin Atlantic and Ryanair both expecting to cut 3,000. About a third of the easyJet job losses are expected to come at the three bases, with potential further job losses in ground operations and aircraft maintenance roles at those airports. Some flights will continue in and out of Newcastle and Stansted, operated by planes and crew based elsewhere, but there is less certainty for Southend, where easyJet is a key airline customer. The airline said it remained committed to its UK operations, where it has 163 planes across 11 bases, flying more than 50 million passengers annually before coronavirus. EasyJet said it believed pre-Covid-19 passenger numbers would not return until 2023 and that it would "continue to review its network and bases". The pilots' union, Balpa, said that the layoffs were "an overreaction" and that it would be "fighting to save every single job". The Balpa general secretary, Brian Strutton, said: "We know that aviation is in the midst of the Covid crisis, and we had been expecting easyJet to make an announcement of temporary measures to help the airline through to recovery. But this seems an overreaction, and easyJet won't find a supply of pilots waiting to come back when the recovery takes place over the next two years." He called for the government to step in with measures to help aviation in the UK, which he said was "caught in a death spiral of despair". Any bailout at easyjet would be controversial after the airline paid a £174m dividend to shareholders in March, when the crisis was already under way. The airline has also used the government's furlough scheme to pay thousands of its staff. The Unite union, which represents cabin crew and other aviation workers, said it was another massive blow for the industry and highlighted the urgent need for government support. Unite's national officer for civil aviation, Oliver Richardson, said easyJet had its "priorities all wrong ... it has paid a multimillion dividend to its shareholders, borrowed hundred of millions from the government to buy new aircraft, and has fully utilised the job retention scheme. It absolutely should not be allowed to make huge redundancies a few weeks later." He added: "We are now more than three months on since the chancellor promised support for UK aviation. The government's ongoing failure to provide such support is directly resulting in huge job losses throughout the industry and is threatening the viability of airlines and airports alike." The detail of job losses at easyJet will fuel concerns about the fate of smaller, regional airports in particular. Earlier on Tuesday, Birmingham airport announced that it would be laying off up to 250 people, more than a quarter of directly employed staff, due to the coronavirus downturn. Ground services and baggage handling group Swissport last week announced that it was halving its UK workforce, resulting in 4,500 job losses, and that it had already begun the process of making 500 staff redundant at its Midlands hub. EasyJet last week launched a rights issue to raise another £450m in cash, having already accessed a £600m Bank of England loan as part of a £2bn war chest to survive the prolonged grounding of its fleet. EasyJet restarted limited flights two weeks ago and still hopes to fly to most European destinations this summer, on a greatly reduced schedule, if travel restrictions are lifted. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/jun/30/easyjet-cut-pilot-jobs-close-uk-bases-stansted-southend-and-newcastle Back to Top SpaceX launches third GPS Block III satellite SpaceX launched their Falcon 9 rocket with the third Block III Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite, named SV03. Block III is the next generation of GPS satellites, replacing the aging Block II series. This will be SpaceX's second GPS launch, out of the five they have been awarded so far. This mission launched at the end of its 15 minute launch window at 16:10:46 EDT (20:10:46 UTC) on 30 June 2020 from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, and was completed successfully 90 minutes later with spacecraft separation. SV03 Launch SpaceX previously launched the maiden GPS Block III satellite, SV01, on a Falcon 9 in December 2018. SV01 was the first launch contract that SpaceX won in the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program. In March 2017, SpaceX beat United Launch Alliance (ULA) to secure the launch contract for the third Block III satellite, SV03. At that time, the launch of SV03 was expected in early 2019. Although SV01 and SV03 have flown or will fly on a Falcon 9 Block 5, their mission profiles will be slightly different. For SV01's launch, the Air Force requested that the Falcon 9 fly in an expendable configuration to dedicate more performance to the satellite. This meant that the first stage - the new core B1054 - had to be expended on its first flight. For SV03, however, the Space Force - who now run the GPS program - gave SpaceX the go-ahead to set aside some vehicle performance to enable first stage recovery. Because of the satellite's deployment orbit and relatively high mass - 3.9 metric tons - the first stage will perform a ballistic landing. This will take place approximately 634km downrange, on SpaceX's droneship Just Read The Instructions. The exact deployment orbit for SV03 has not been publicized as of writing. However, if it follows a similar profile to SV01, it would be deployed into an approximately 1,200 by 20,000km transfer orbit. From there, the satellite would maneuver itself into a 20,200km circular orbit. On July 25, SpaceX crews rolled the Falcon 9 stack - minus SV03 and its fairing - onto SLC-40 to perform a static fire test. A static fire test is a complete dress rehearsal of almost all launch day activities - including propellant loading and a brief test fire of the nine first stage engines. SpaceX later confirmed that the test was nominal and that they were on track for the launch. The second stage for this mission features a gray band of paint covering the second stage's RP-1 tank. The gray stripe is used on longer-duration missions - such as SV03 - because the second stage will perform a long coast between engine burns. For SV03 specifically, the second stage will coast for nearly an hour between its two engine firings. The extreme environment of space can dramatically alter the propellant's temperature, affecting engine performance. The gray band's darker color warms the RP-1 by absorbing solar radiation, ensuring that the fuel does not freeze. The gray stripe was tested on the CRS-18 mission in August 2019, where the second stage performed a long coast after Dragon separation. SV03's Falcon 9 also features first stage B1060, making its debut flight. Should its landing be successful, B1060 will be refurbished and made available for a second flight. Due to past landing failures, SpaceX has had few boosters to use for launches of their Starlink internet satellites. The addition of B1060 to the mix will help in their ramping up of launches. On launch day, the Falcon 9 will lift off from SLC-40 and begin pitching downrange. Due to the high inclination orbits the GPS satellites use - 55 degrees - the rocket will head northeast from Cape Canaveral. At T+2 minutes 35 seconds, the first stage engines will shut down - 9 seconds earlier than on SV01. The two stages will separate, and the second stage's single Merlin 1D Vacuum engine will ignite at T+2:42. The two fairing halves will separate at T+3:38 and descend to their own recovery zone. SpaceX's twin fairing recovery vessels GO Ms. Tree and GO Ms. Chief are positioned in the Atlantic Ocean to attempt to catch one faring half each in their nets approximately 45 minutes after launch. If they miss their catch, crews can recover the fairings out of the water. The second stage will continue firing until its engine shuts down at T+8:07. From that point it will coast for nearly an hour until it reignites for a 45-second burn at T+1:03:28. GPS SV03 will be deployed at T+1:29:14 - marking the end of the mission. GPS Block III As its name suggests, GPS Block III will be the third major version of the GPS satellites. The Department of Defense started the GPS program in 1973. In 1978, the first of eleven prototype satellites were launched. These satellites - referred to as Block I - were meant to prove the concept and develop technologies for the future operational GPS constellation. The Block I series satellites were only expected to last five years on orbit. However, the final Block I satellite was in service for just over 10 years, being retired in November 1995. GPS Block II was intended to become the first operational series in the program, building off developments made throughout the Block I series. The Block II satellites feature two rubidium and two cesium atomic clocks, which the satellites use to help accurately determine user location. Block II itself had five series of spacecraft - II, IIA, IIR, IIR-M, and IIF. Each series boasted several upgrades over the previous, often involving new signals or increased autonomous operations. The final Block II satellite launched in 2016. Many are still in operation or in reserve and will be slowly phased out as Block III becomes operational. Block III offers enhanced position accuracy and more powerful signals - enabling higher availability and throughput. The spacecraft in the series are built on Lockheed Martin's A2100 bus - the same used by NOAA's GOES-R-series weather satellites. The maiden launch of Block III was expected to take place in 2014. However, delays in the program led to the launch being pushed back to late 2018. Initially, United Launch Alliance was contracted to launch the first Block III mission, SV01, with SpaceX flying the second, SV02. in 2017, the Air Force swapped the missions - giving SpaceX the maiden Block III launch. SpaceX launched SV01 in December 2018 on an expendable Falcon 9 Block 5. ULA launched SV02 in August 2019 on the final Delta IV Medium flight. SpaceX was additionally contracted to launch satellites SV03-06 throughout 2020 and 2021. The 10 Block III satellites will be joined by 22 Block III follow-on, or IIIF, satellites. Block IIIF will bring new capabilities to the Block III design over time in what are called "Technology Insertion Points". These four points are earmarked as the only times when new technology can be added to the satellite design. These are expected to take place around 2026, 2028, 2030, and 2033. Block IIIF launches will take place between 2026 and 2034. The next flight for SpaceX will be the 9th operational Starlink mission, currently scheduled for July. https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2020/06/spacex-launch-third-gps-block-iii-satellite/ Curt Lewis