May 31, 2021 - No. 42 In This Issue : Middle East Airlines Will Only Accept US Dollars From Tomorrow : A glimpse into the multibillion-dollar work-in-progress renovation of New York’s LaGuardia Airport : Objectify partners with Air Works Group to deliver 3D Printing for Aviation MRO : Aero to expand hangar facility at Lagos Airport : Hi Fly To Trial Innovative 3 Pronged Eco Wingtip On Its Airbus A330 : Pratt & Whitney GTF™ engines now power more than 1,000 aircraft : ‘TOTAL LOCKDOWN’ to combat Covid-19 will force industries in Malaysia to shut down : Boeing Dreamliner Deliveries Face New Delays : Airports with round runways, the revolution in air transport : China to send 3 male astronauts to its space station in June : SpaceX’s first ocean spaceport is being built and will host launches next year Middle East Airlines Will Only Accept US Dollars From Tomorrow Lebanese national flag carrier Middle East Airlines (MEA) announced on Sunday that it would only accept payments in US dollars starting from Tuesday, June 1. Originally, the move was to have taken place on June 8, but has been brought forward by the Lebanese Central Bank. The bank owns 99% of the airline. reviously, travel agents in the Lebanese capital were telling their clients that MEA tickets would need to be paid for in dollars starting from June 8. Now people planning to travel are having to scramble to get dollars out of the bank or pay inflated prices to exchange shops for dollars to pay for tickets. Having to purchase MEA tickets in dollars only applies to tickets bought in Lebanon and would now be based on a central bank benchmark dollar rate set to be launched this month, according to the Lebanese English language news outlet The961. This has been coming for some time The move by MEA to only accept payment in dollars has been coming for some time. MEA Chairman Mohamad El-Hout told the Daily Star that it was on the cards back in December when he said, “We have no other choice but to charge in dollars once the Central Bank ends its subsidy program, or else we will be forced to close down. We are already losing a lot of money because we are charging at a dollar rate of LL3,900 (Lebanese pounds), and this proved to be very bad for our business.” Most of MEAs expenses are paid in dollars Around 85% of all MEAs expenses are paid in dollars and include the leasing of aircraft, jet fuel, aircraft maintenance, and landing fees at international airports. When speaking about why the airline only wanted to accept ticket payments in dollars, Hout added, “Nearly all the international airlines that have offices in Lebanon are charging in dollars and won’t accept bankers’ checks or Lebanese pound, and this did not affect the volume of business.” Before MEA’s decision to only accept dollars, people could pay for their tickets in local currency or by check. Now, it will mean higher ticket prices, making air travel all but impossible for most of the population. Nobody knows the value of the local currency The truth of the matter is that nobody knows how much the Lebanese pound is worth anymore. At the moment, Lebanon has four vastly different rates at which Lebanese pounds can be exchanged for dollars. In 1997 the Lebanese pound was pegged to the dollar at LBP 1,500 = $1.00. In 2019 Lebanon suffered an economic crisis that saw the Lebanese pound lose between 80% to 90% of its value against the dollar. If you look at it from MEAs perspective, they really have no option other than charging in dollars as you can’t run a business when the money you are accepting fluctuates so wildly. To sum up the situation, regular Lebanese workers are trying to navigate a minefield of multiple exchange rates. They are paying the price for the countries political elite’s incompetence and corruption. https://simpleflying.com/mea-usd-dollar-payments/ A glimpse into the multibillion-dollar work-in-progress renovation of New York’s LaGuardia Airport NEW YORK (AP) — A multibillion-dollar makeover of New York City’s LaGuardia Airport isn’t completely wiping away the airport’s storied past. Quietly functioning on the nearly 700 acres of the evolving transport hub are some of the oldest continuously operating airport facilities in the U.S. Just west of the gleaming hull of the airport’s new Terminal B stand two American Airlines airplane hangars that date back more than 70 years, to the earliest days of civil aviation and the advent of cross-country flights. Farther west are Hangar 7 and the Marine Air Terminal, known as Terminal A, where terra cotta flying fish symbolize the Boeing 314 Clipper flying boats that skimmed across nearby Bowery Bay in 1939. Hangar 7, once a facility for the flying boats, now houses snow removal equipment. The Marine Air Terminal continues to serve passengers, and the hangers are being upgraded and will continue to serve as an aircraft maintenance facility. Those old facilities might be noticed by relatively few of the passengers returning to LaGuardia after the pandemic downturn. The airport is in the midst of an $8 billion modernization effort that involves constructing 72 gates and two new main terminals to replace notoriously cramped corridors and ticketing areas. The work has been done even as flights continue to come and go. It has been a swirl of construction activity for years, but the new facility has gradually emerged, in some places decorated with art and an indoor fountain that resembles a continuous light show. Beyond the steel and glass of the new passenger halls, there are links to past and present. Brilliant colors of massive murals from contemporary artists Laura Owens and Sabine Hornig depicting New York City scenes illuminate Terminal B’s interior. The human connection to flight and travel is honored in these modern narratives and in a restored Art Deco classic canvas inside the circular hall of the Marine Air Terminal that dates to 1939. They allow us to visualize where we’ve been and where we’re going, all in one glance. https://www.marketwatch.com/story/a-glimpse-into-the-multibillion-dollar-work-in-progress-renovation-of-new-yorks-laguardia-airport-01622388963 Objectify partners with Air Works Group to deliver 3D Printing for Aviation MRO Objectify Technologies, an Indian 3D printing solutions provider, announced its partnership with Air Works Group, India’s biggest and highly diversified independent MRO, to help deliver 3D Printing for Aviation MRO. Air Works is a renowned organization having strong pan India presence. The partnership will work towards offering a variety of complex, new generation compounds and 3D printing polymers with special characteristics which enable extensive customization in product design including printing and production of parts/ sub-parts and even entire assemblies, which are either difficult, prohibitively expensive, or cannot be manufactured by traditional manufacturing processes. Aviation Industry in India Today, India ranks seventh in the list of largest civil aviation market in the word and third-largest in terms of domestic operations. It is estimated that Indian will overtake the United Kingdom and also become the third-largest global market by 2024. The Aviation industry in India – commercial, business, or defence – is in a critical state today due to the global pandemic but prior to that the industry was booming like never before. It has come a long way since the inception of the Indian Airforce in 1931 or later the Air India in the defence and commercial space. From becoming the first Asian to induct a Boeing jet engine to buying Rafale Fighter Jets the journey is remarkable. But as the industry grows, the associated systems also grow, the safety and security measures also need an overhaul and have to stay relevant with the changing times. Each aircraft is home to tens of thousands of moving parts which require to pass strict safety regulations. If ignored, it can endanger lives of millions of passengers on board. With the global regulations, a high level of engineering & ingenuity is expected from each service provider. 3D Printing for Aviation MRO The Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) companies are responsible to ensure the safe flight operations of an aircraft. These are companies dedicated to the repair and maintenance of an aircraft with outstanding workmanship, quality, and an exceptional safety orientation. There are 133+ MRO organizations in India that relentlessly support the aviation industry and help them fly without worries. The Indian Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) industry was worth USD 800 million in 2011 and is expected to grow to over USD 1.5 billion by 2020 and this gives us a clear picture of the value attached to the same. The constant need for upgraded engineering expertise is of utmost importance. 3D Printing for Aviation MRO is an ideal combination to deliver great results. Due to its ability to produce parts fast, on-demand, and high-quality parts from scratch with less material. The industry is highly lucrative and perfectly suits all the advantages that 3D printing has to offer. A lot of International airlines like Etihad Airways have already incorporated 3D printing for their Aviation MRO activities. Partnership – Objectify & Air Works Group The recent announcement of the partnership between Objectify Technologies and Air Works Group will lead a new way into the repair and maintenance of aircrafts. Objectify Technologies is India’s only in-house metal and polymer AM-ESP (Additive Manufacturing Engineering Service Provider) with expertise in aerospace, automotive, tooling, white goods, and medical component building and consulting. It has over a dozen machines and a vast component manufacturing portfolio. “3D printing technology and materials are increasingly gaining relevance across industries given their good strength-to-weight ratio, excellent dimensional accuracy, strength and stiffness, lightness, wear resistance, good thermal performance, and Non-corrosiveness. As a pioneer, Air Works occupies a fundamental place in the Indian aviation ecosystem, and we are proud and privileged to partner with the country’s leading aviation services provider having a domain experience of over 70 years. Our alliance with Air Works will put us in an enviable position to address the challenges of not just aviation but also those of the fast-growing aerospace and defence sectors using our collective synergies.” – Ankit Sahu, Director of Objectify Technologies Private Ltd. 3D printing for aviation MRO has been witnessing increasing global adoption in recent years, especially in the aerospace, and defence industries. This puts Objectify Technologies in a great place and ahead of most of its competition in India. https://manufactur3dmag.com/objectify-partners-with-air-works-group-to-deliver-3d-printing-for-aviation-mro/ Aero to expand hangar facility at Lagos Airport Aero contractors of Nigeria said it has concluded plans to expand its aircraft maintenance facility at its headquarters at the Lagos Airport. The resolve by the carrier to expand its aircraft repair centre is to meet the huge demand by indigenous and foreign carriers to fix their aircraft hitherto ferried overseas for major maintenance repairs known in aviation parlance as C- check. Its Managing Director/Accountable Manager, Captain Abdullahi Mahmood, disclosed this in Lagos while unveiling plans by the airline to launch flight services into Bauchi, Maiduguri and Calabar. The new routes, the Aero boss said, were carefully chosen following demand by passengers yearning for reliable and prompt flight services. He said the airline, as part of its growth plan, was consolidating on its strategy of using aircraft just released from maintenance to match passenger demand for services in routes considered unserved. He said : ” It is a proud moment for us in Aero Contractors, Nigeria’s oldest commercial airline, as we announce the launching of flight services into Bauchi, “The Jewel in The Savannah£ and Maiduguri “The Home of Peace” using the Boeing 737- 400 just released from C-check. We are confident the flights will serve our customers well and give them more choices and flexibility in planning their business, family and leisure trips. “We believe that these routes will add fresh breadth to our schedule and complement the quest to rebuild our network to other cities as part of our strategy to expand. Bauchi and Maiduguri are some of the underserved cities in Northern Nigeria. “As mentioned, the Boeing 737-400 aircraft, which will be used for these new routes, has just been released from C-Check by our MRO team. We are proud of our team for their expertise and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) for their professionalism and support. “Our Aircraft Maintenance Organisation (AMO) allows us to handle total repair with a certified maintenance facility where commercial and private aircraft maintenance can be completed. The airline’s foundation is built on proven safe, reliable and on-time transportation while delivering to customers the highest standard of safety and efficient services.’ He said in the last four years, Aero aircraft maintenance facility has carried out 17 C- checks on aircraft belonging to Air Peace, Max Air, Dana Air and airlines from Democratic Republic of Congo. The Aero boss said many carriers were finding the Aero maintenance facility attractive for their aircraft repairs because of the huge cost of ferrying aircraft overseas. Besides, the huge cost of fueling the aircraft overseas, difficulties in securing foreign exchange, allowances for technical representatives / crew, over flights, navigational charges , challenges of securing slots and other issues are factors that would encourage airlines to fix their airplanes in – country instead of taking them abroad. To meet up with the high demand by airlines for the Aero aircraft repair centre, Mahmood said the management has invited a construction company to take measurements to assist in expanding its hangar at the Lagos Airport to accommodate more airplanes. Besides, he said Aero was also seeking the approval of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to certify another hangar in Abuja to boost its aircraft repair capacity. He said the Aero facility has secured the endorsement of civil aviation authorities in Nigeria, Ghana, Congo, Tunisia, Malta and Mongolia to carry out heavy maintenance checks on aircraft registered in those countries. He said the carrier was rebuilding its fleet of aircraft to enable it cater to the needs of underserved cities. https://thenationonlineng.net/aero-to-expand-hangar-facility-at-lagos-airport/ Hi Fly To Trial Innovative 3 Pronged Eco Wingtip On Its Airbus A330 Hi Fly has today announced that it is introducing TRINITAIR, which is a creative retrofit wingtip solution. The Portuguese charter airline is looking to reduce fuel consumption during its Airbus A330 services by up to 2% with this initiative. Overcoming hurdles The airline will be the first operator in the world to launch these unique-looking wingtips. The carrier will apply them to one of its A330 aircraft for the product’s maiden test flight. Notably, up to 40% of the total air resistance on a plane in cruise is a result of drag. So, those behind TRINITAIR are looking to address this aspect and offer “optimal circulation distribution.” The Aircraft Performance Company (The APC) designed TRINITAIR. Altogether, the company sought to provide an economic solution that can be swiftly retrofitted to reduce downtime. It all adds up The APC managing director Harald Zirngibi explains that the winglets are airworthy within just a day due to their “Plug & Fly” approach. He further explained the benefit of the product, giving examples of the savings to be had. “With its 3-finger wingtip solution, born from a sketch on a napkin, The APC is developing a new technology that enables aircraft to reduce its carbon footprint. The new winglet not only reduces fuel consumption, but also optimizes the overall performance. The engineers at The APC uses well-founded, patented knowledge of flow and structural mechanics to achieve an optimal circulation distribution of the outer wing by locally influencing or expanding the wingtip vortex,” Zirngibl shares in the release. “A flight from Frankfurt to Hong Kong, for example, would save at least 1.2 tons of fuel. Applied to global air traffic, this means a considerable overall reduction in fuel and thus in CO2 emissions. The handling of available resources, cost effectiveness and pragmatism are also fundamental. Increasing the efficiency of valuable in-service aircraft will immediately benefit our environment.” The right steps Hi Fly presently holds an A330-200, A330-300, and A330-900 within the fleet of the core airline and its subsidiary, Hi Fly Malta. Many of these units are new, but it holds one -200 preighter that is 23 years old, according to ch-aviation. With the airline keen to increase efficiency, modern applications will go a long way to bring aircraft up to scratch. Furthermore, the operator will also benefit from the utilization of these wingtips on newer units. Hi Fly is showing its determination to optimize operations across the board. At the turn of the year, it announced the completion of a new maintenance hangar in Beja, Portugal. Additionally, it said goodbye to the inefficient Airbus A380 at the end of 2020. Ultimately, initiatives such as these not only help balance the books in a time when every penny counts, they also contribute massively to sustainability targets. With the aviation industry looking to cut down on emissions, ventures such as TRINITAIR will be vital. Hi Fly is looking to offset all of its carbon dioxide emissions by the end of this year. Therefore, it will be excited about hitting the skies with these new wingtips. https://simpleflying.com/hi-fly-a330-wing-tip-trial/ Pratt & Whitney GTF™ engines now power more than 1,000 aircraft Pratt & Whitney recently celebrated the 1,000th aircraft powered by GTF engines, with this milestone aircraft delivered to Sichuan Airlines Co., Ltd. GTF engines power three aircraft families in service today: Airbus A320neo, Airbus A220 and Embraer E-Jets E2. The 1,000th aircraft marked the 30th A320neo family aircraft in the Sichuan fleet with 51 more to be delivered. In addition to GTF-powered A320neo family aircraft, the airline also operates 87 A320ceo family aircraft with V2500® engines. “We are honored to take delivery of the 1,000th GTF-powered aircraft,” said Li Haiying, Chairman of Sichuan Airlines Co., Ltd. “We offer our congratulations on this milestone, which is a testament not only to the unmatched economic and environmental performance of GTF engines, but also the long-term relationship we have enjoyed with Pratt & Whitney.” Powering 54 airlines around the world, GTF engines have saved more than 490 million gallons of fuel and avoided more than 4.7 million tonnes of carbon emissions, while accumulating more than 8.9 million engine flight hours of experience. Thanks in part to the engine’s fuel efficiency these three aircraft families have experienced some of the highest utilization during the pandemic and recovery period. Paired with world-class dispatch reliability, the GTF is enabling operators to expand their route networks more sustainably. It is the engine of choice for more than 80 airlines and lessors who have placed orders and commitments for more than 10,000 engines. To service the growing fleet, Pratt & Whitney has established a global network of the world’s leading maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities. “GTF-powered aircraft have introduced the world to a new era of more sustainable aviation with dramatic reductions in emissions and noise,” said Rick Deurloo, chief commercial officer and senior vice president at Pratt & Whitney. “Together with the engine’s unmatched fuel efficiency, world-class reliability, and comprehensive service offerings, we are delivering competitive solutions for our customers. That’s why we’re so excited to celebrate this milestone with Sichuan – and with all our valued operators around the world.” Since entering service in early 2016, the GTF engine family has delivered on its promised ability to reduce fuel burn and carbon emissions by up to 20 percent, and to dramatically reduce regulated emissions and noise footprint. With the GTF’s long runway for future growth, Pratt & Whitney is just getting started. https://www.aerotechnews.com/blog/2021/05/29/pratt-whitney-gtf-engines-now-power-more-than-1000-aircraft/ ‘TOTAL LOCKDOWN’ to combat Covid-19 will force industries in Malaysia to shut down All manufacturing sectors – with an exception for those deemed necessary – will be shut down as Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin orders a “total lockdown” of the country to combat a surge in Covid-19 cases. Muhyiddin announced the June lockdown on Friday, revealing that all unessential sectors and industries would be totally shut down from between June 1 and June 14. “With the latest rise in daily cases showing a drastically upward trend, hospital capacity across the country to treat COVID-19 patients are becoming limited,” he explained. On Sunday, the manufacturing sectors which would be allowed to continue operation were revealed. These include medical and healthcare supplies, food and drink, cleaning products, printing and packaging, and aviation maintenance. Agriculture, fishing, and livestock will continue during the lockdown, as well as oil, gas, and electricity manufacturing, various plantations, and their supply chains, according to Reuters. Malaysian Health Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah warned on Sunday that, in certain situations, doctors may have to “make difficult choices to prioritize ICU beds for patients with higher recovery potential than those with lower recovery potential” – potentially deciding who lives and who dies. “Although a number of ICU beds for Covid patients has been added, the rate of use is still more than 100%,” he explained. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Malaysia has recorded over 558,000 cases of Covid-19 and 2,650 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic. https://www.rt.com/news/525227-malaysia-total-lockdown-covid/ Boeing Dreamliner Deliveries Face New Delays Boeing Co. has halted deliveries of its 787 Dreamliners, adding fresh delays for customers following a recent five-month suspension in handing over the aircraft due to production problems, people familiar with the matter said. Federal air-safety regulators have requested more information about Boeing's proposed solution to address the previously identified quality lapses, these people said. It wasn't clear how long the halt might last, they said. American Airlines Group Inc. was slated to receive a new Dreamliner last week, but that delivery isn't expected until this week at the earliest, one of the people said. A Boeing spokesman said the company was working in a timely and transparent manner to provide regulators with more information related to undelivered 787s. The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday confirmed that Boeing had halted Dreamliner deliveries, saying that the plane maker needs to demonstrate that its proposed inspection method complies with federal-safety regulations. The temporary halt could further pressure Boeing's finances, as customers typically pay the bulk of an aircraft's price on receipt, and disrupt airlines' plans as travel demand picks up along with rising Covid-19 vaccinations. Deliveries are on track to fall short of expectations set by chief executive David Calhoun last month, when he told analysts the manufacturer planned to hand over 10 to12 Dreamliners to customers each month. The FAA launched a review of Boeing's Dreamliner production last year and has increased scrutiny of its 737 MAX manufacturing operations following earlier factory slip-ups. As part of its Dreamliner scrutiny, the agency has recently requested more information about the plane maker's proposed method for addressing quality issues using a system that would allow for targeted checks of newly produced aircraft, rather than broader inspections of more areas, people familiar with the matter said. Boeing's proposed method is based on a statistical analysis of data. Until Boeing can satisfy the FAA's requests, the agency is requiring Boeing to perform the broader inspections, which are more time-consuming and labor-intensive, the people said. Many of the 787 quality lapses involve tiny gaps where sections of the jet's fuselage, or body of the plane, join together. Problems have emerged in other places, too, including the vertical fin and horizontal stabilizer at the tail. Such gaps could lead to eventual premature fatigue of certain portions of the aircraft, potentially requiring extensive repairs during routine, long-term maintenance. The plane maker has delivered a total of 12 Dreamliners in the two months since it resumed deliveries of the aircraft on March 26, following a five-month halt while it addressed the production lapses, according to aviation data firm Ascend by Cirium. Boeing's last Dreamliner delivery was on May 4, Cirium data show. Boeing has reduced output of the Dreamliner to five a month after shuttering assembly at its Everett, Wash., plant near Seattle and focusing production at North Charleston, S.C. It had built up a backlog of around 100 finished planes by the end of April, and had hoped to deliver most of them by the end of the year. https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/2124183/boeing-dreamliner-deliveries-face-new-delays Airports with round runways, the revolution in air transport Today we take many for granted. Things that precisely the technology and the new visionaries are modifying to offer us a new perspective, fresh and that changes its use forever. It has happened to telephones when they became smart; It has happened with wearables or wearable technology in things as common as a watch or a jacket; It has happened with the vehicles that are now autonomous and there are even flying taxis. And it will happen with airports. How does an airplane land on a circular runway? From the early days of aviation until it was standardized and became the fastest means of transportation, a concept that has never changed in a century and a half are the take-off and landing runways. They have always had and have to be long and wide so that an airplane has enough space to reach the necessary take-off speed or the appropriate distance to stop. And this has always involved two things to build and maintain an airport: a vast expanse of land and Daily maintenance. But what if instead of 5-10 straight tracks a single track would suffice? A circular track? The circular track concept was presented in 2017 by Henk Hesselink, a researcher in the Netherlands Aerospace Center. And his vision includes an airport surrounded by a single 3-kilometer round runway and therefore continuous that borders its perimeter. The main advantage is that airplanes, up to three at the same time, they can land and take off in a headwind, although given their shape, the outwind and direction of the wind is never a problem. And its diameter is enough to house an airport within the perimeter. In fact, the same Hesselink has been collaborating with Valkenburg airport since 2018, a disused naval facility near The Hague, to test its circular runway design by building a airport for military drones. By 2050 Its creator continues to dream of seeing his design implemented in airports around the world by 2050, And although it may seem at first to be too radical a solution, too daring a concept, and above all too far back in time – hell, thirty years to go – the more you examine, more plausible it seems to solve current problems. Will we see them in three decades become a standard? https://marketresearchtelecast.com/airports-with-round-runways-the-revolution-in-air-transport/58465/ China to send 3 male astronauts to its space station in June BEIJING: A three-man crew of astronauts will blast off in June for a three-month mission on China’s new space station, according to a space official who was the country’s first astronaut in orbit. The plans for the station’s first crew were confirmed to state television by Yang Liwei, the manned space program’s deputy chief designer, as an automated spacecraft was launched with fuel and supplies for the Tianhe station. The Tianhe, or Heavenly Harmony, is the third and largest space station launched by China’s increasingly ambitious space program. Its core module was launched into orbit April 29. The Shenzhou 12 capsule carrying the crew will be launched from the Jiuquan base in China’s northwest next month, Yang said in comments broadcast Saturday by China Central Television. They will practice spacewalks and conduct repairs and maintenance as well as scientific operations. Yang, who orbited Earth in 2003, gave no details of the astronauts’ identities or a flight date and said the crew will come from the program’s two earliest groups of astronauts. Asked whether women would be in the crew, Yang said, “on Shenzhou 12 we don’t have them, but missions after that all will have them.” The Tianzhou-2 spacecraft that docked with Tianhe on Sunday carried 6.8 tons of cargo including space suits, food and equipment for the astronauts and fuel for the station, according to the space program. The space agency plans a total of 11 launches through the end of next year to deliver two more modules for the 70-ton station, supplies and the crew. Beijing doesn’t participate in the International Space Station, largely due to US objections. Washington is wary of the Chinese program’s secrecy and its military connections. China has sent 11 astronauts, including two women, into space beginning with Yang’s flight in October 2003. The first female astronaut was Liu Yang in 2012. All of China’s astronauts to date have been pilots from the ruling Communist Party’s military wing, the People’s Liberation Army. Astronauts on the Tianhe will practice making spacewalks with two people outside the hull at one time, according to Yang. China’s first spacewalk was made in 2008 by Zhai Zhigang outside the Shenzhou 7 capsule. Also this month, the Chinese space program landed a probe, the Tianwen-1, on Mars carrying a rover, the Zhurong. https://www.arabnews.com/node/1867701/world SpaceX’s first ocean spaceport is being built and will host launches next year SpaceX is already underway on building its first floating spaceport platform, and the plan is for it to start hosting launches as early as next year. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk shared those details on the progress of its build for Deimos, one of two converted oil rigs that SpaceX purchased earlier this year in order to transform them into floating launch and landing sites for its forthcoming Starship reusable rocket. SpaceX’s purchase of the two rigs at the beginning of this year was for the creation of Deimos and Phobos, two floating spaceports named after the moons of Mars. They’ll act as offshore staging grounds for Starship launch activities, and the name is appropriate because the eventual plan is to have Starship provide transport for both people and goods to and from the red planet. Musk and SpaceX have previously shared their vision for a future in which spaceports like Deimos are positioned within convenient reach of major hubs around the world, making it possible for SpaceX to operate a globe-spanning network of hypersonic point-to-point travel using Starships ferrying people from destinations as far flung as Beijing to New York in around 30 minutes. Before that, however, SpaceX will be looking to conduct orbital flight testing of the still in-development Starship, and its accompany booster, the Super Heavy. Musk said earlier this year that it could begin flying rockets from its offshore platforms as early as the end of 2021. This new timeline indicates that rosy estimate has been pushed, which is pretty standard for the multi-CEO. The company has recently made good progress in its Starship program, however, with a successful high-altitude launch and landing test at its Texas ‘Starbase’ development site. SpaceX is now in the process of getting ready for its first orbital flight test, which will include flying Starship atop Super Heavy for the first time, and a recovery of the Starship following the test after it splashes down off the coast of Hawaii. It’s now doing longer fire Raptor engine ground tests to get ready for that next big milestone. https://techcrunch.com/2021/05/31/spacexs-first-ocean-spaceport-is-being-built-and-will-host-launches-next-year/?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAL4D57SqhkmpJ9VMjdhpRWq_HuFBIR2fFPdEOcLBMotfMsjrs2eP5LehttV2B1VjKvwXekRQ7d3V7HVrfwlk4lZhL_Os8SdxAi5uclji0OS18Y7tQR8LVIP6-Rhl0IEo36z66h-tX_a4lvLScajJGU7w2x48EMFKAMzOJIZZN9kf Curt Lewis