September 8, 2022 - No. 36


In This Issue 

: Growing satellite industry could fuel growth for Georgia aerospace companies

: Aerospace opens $100 million facility in Colorado Springs for military space activities

: Dawn Aerospace tests Mk-II suborbital spaceplane 

: Boeing announces expansion to its Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Center

: Rolls Royce begin work on new Pearl 10X facility in France 

: Firefly Aerospace Names Bill Weber as CEO

: Cirrus to buy former Duluth aircraft maintenance facility for $1

: GE Aviation Opens New Asia-Pacific Service Centre in Australia



 

 


Growing satellite industry could fuel growth for Georgia aerospace companies

Georgia is no alien when it comes to the commercialization of technologies for space exploration.

Home to 800 aerospace companies, it ranks as the fifth-largest aerospace export state in the country, and its universities receive $50 million a year for aerospace research, according to the Georgia Center of Innovation.

These facts were showcased at Dragon Con, one of the country's largest pop culture events, drawing 65,000 to Downtown Atlanta over Labor Day weekend. The 35-year-old event has also evolved into an important stage for discussion of potential commercial applications in fields including aerospace.

Consider satellites. They have dramatically shrunk in size and cost over the years, similar to how computers have gone from the size of a whole room to fitting inside a pocket. Once costing hundreds of millions, satellites can cost around $1 million and be the size of a toaster oven.

Consequently, the number of them in space have sharply grown. This has created a greater need for replacement components and transferring data. By 2028, the market for upgrading smaller satellites is expected to more than double to $10.7 billion, according to research firm Fortune Business Insights.

It has expanded opportunities for Georgia companies such as SpaceWorks Enterprises Inc., an aerospace manufacturer based in DeKalb County. CEO John Bradford believes the sector is poised for a wave of investment.

"Satellite servicing and in-orbit experiments are the next thing," Bradford said.

Venture capitalists have caught wind of the growing satellite market as well. Last year, satellite-centered businesses including Spire Global,Planet and Black Sky went public through special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) mergers.

Bradford's company is aiming to meet that demand with its spacecraft docking and connection device named FuseBlox. The device, which was commercialized earlier this year, is used to support space missions by making repairs and connecting data on in-orbit satellites. The company sells the devices to small satellite operators, commercial companies who look to assemble or build objects in space. Bradford declined to identify those companies.

Under a Small Business Technology Transfer grant worth $240,000, SpaceWorks has also partnered with the Georgia Institute of Technology to work on its satellite projects. While students perform research into particular areas, the company creates practical solutions.

NASA has a history of turning products for space exploration into unlikely commercialized products. Memory foam was originally invented as a way to make aircraft cushions safer, while the technology behind wireless vacuums known as Dustbusters was initially designed to extract samples from the moon’s surface.

“The tricky thing is you never know what’s going to be the commercial application,” said Trina Ray, a senior science systems engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, at Dragon Con. “When we did research on electrons, nobody thought that would become computers.”

SpaceWorks is one of a few Georgia-based businesses that are poised to see growth from the small satellite trend.

Gwinnett County-based DataPath Inc. provides network monitoring software for satellite operators, according to its website. Atomic-6, which manufactures components that are lightweight and efficient for the aerospace industry, went out of stealth mode earlier this year.

“They are sending more satellites in the next two years than ever in human history, so there’s clearly a growing demand,” Atomic-6 founder Trevor Smith previously told Atlanta Inno. “If we have the best manufacturing in the world, that gives the potential to sell in multi-billion dollars.”

https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/inno/stories/news/2022/09/07/satellite-georgia-aerospace-spaceworks-growth.html

 


 

 


Aerospace opens $100 million facility in Colorado Springs for military space activities

•	Aerospace Corp. says the 90,000-square-foot Space Warfighting Center will provide high-tech tools for military space agencies

WASHINGTON — Aerospace Corp. on Sept. 7 unveiled a new facility in Colorado Springs equipped with digital engineering and simulation labs to support military space programs. 

The $100 million 90,000-square-foot Space Warfighting Center will provide work areas and digital tools for military space agencies that design satellites and train satellite operators, Aerospace executives said. During a ribbon-cutting ceremony, Colorado officials said the facility will boost the local economy and create about 250 jobs.

Aerospace CEO Steve Isakowitz said the center “leverages cutting-edge digital tools to aid our government partners as they design and support the development, training, and testing of the nation’s future space enterprise.”

A nonprofit corporation operating as a federally funded research and development center, or FFRDC, Aerospace advises government agencies on national security, civil, commercial, and international space issues. 

Jean Michael, general manager of Aerospace’s space enterprise and warfighting division, said the company decided to build the facility to meet local demand for technical design and specialized training. Colorado Springs is home to the U.S. Space Command, the U.S. Space Force Space Operations Command, and the Space Training and Readiness Command. 

The Space Warfighting Center is located next to Aerospace’s existing facility near the Colorado Springs airport.

“We designed it to assist the government in evaluating new concepts and how they best fit into the larger space enterprise,” said Michael. ‘It’s really just a continuation of our mission and charter as an FFRDC in support of the Space Force and others.”

https://spacenews.com/aerospace-opens-100-million-facility-in-colorado-springs-for-military-space-activities/

 

 


Dawn Aerospace tests Mk-II suborbital spaceplane 

The five flights assessed the airframe and avionics of the vehicle, and were conducted using surrogate jet engines.

Propelled by a mixture of high-test peroxide (HTP) and Kerosene, the airframe is 4.8m in length, weighing 280kg with a full tank and with a max speed surpassing Mach 3.

Mk-II is a suborbital plane designed to fly 100km (62 miles) above the Earth’s surface. Dawn said it is aiming for the Mk-II to be the first vehicle to access space multiple times per day. The vehicle serves as a technology demonstrator for the two-stage-to-orbit-vehicle, the Mk-III.

Mk-II will also be used to capture atmospheric data used for weather and climate modelling, and to conduct scientific research and technology demonstrations. The Mk-III will be significantly larger than its predecessor at 18m in length and 18,000kg in weight at takeoff.

The Mk-II rocket engine will replace the surrogate jet engines after initial testing is complete, intended to unlock higher performance for supersonic and high-altitude testing (Photo: Dawn Aerospace)

The campaign ran from Glentanner Aerodrome in New Zealand’s South Island. Taxi testing commenced in early July and five flights occurred between July 20-30, reaching altitudes of 3,400ft (1,036m).

“Dawn is focused on sustainable and scalable access to space and our Mk-II vehicle is entirely reusable,” said Stefan Powell, CEO, adding, “The team have successfully captured extensive data enabling further R&D on the capability of Mk-II.

“I’m hugely proud of our engineering team for designing and building a vehicle that flies beautifully first time and just as predicted. We are delighted with the results and demonstrating rapid turnaround – we conducted five flights within three days, and two flights occurred within ninety minutes of each other.”

Dawn Aerospace has headquarters in New Zealand and offices in the Netherlands and New York.

Dawn tests various vehicles and systems in a number of locations across New Zealand’s South Island, and has agreements in place with a number of potential launch locations globally. On December 9 2020, Dawn announced the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) had granted Dawn a certificate to fly Mk-II Aurora spaceplane from a conventional airport without exclusive airspace restrictions.

“We were successful in demonstrating our ability to integrate with other airspace operators,” said Powell. “Fixed-wing aircraft and local helicopter companies continued their operations unaffected.”

https://www.aerospacetestinginternational.com/news/dawn-aerospace-tests-mk-ii-suborbital-spaceplane.html

 


Boeing announces expansion to its Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Center

The aerospace giant aims to use the facility R&D in multiple “vertical” capabilities, including aerospace, ag tech, automotive, biomedical, construction, geospatial, and logistics.

ST. LOUIS - Boeing in Arlington, Va., has announced that it is investing $5 million to help expand the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Center in St. Louis (AMICSTL). The company says its investment will help fund a state-of-the-art advanced manufacturing facility, accelerate workforce development programs, and grow the region’s talent pipeline and technical and manufacturing abilities.

St. Louis-area economic development and business leaders established AMICSTL in 2020. The new 130,000 square-foot advanced manufacturing facility will house workforce development programs, leading-edge R&D, and prototyping/production capacity spanning multiple “vertical” capabilities, including aerospace, ag tech, automotive, biomedical, construction, geospatial, and logistics.

Boeing and AMICSTL’s partnership aims to establish St. Louis’ North Central Corridor as an advanced manufacturing innovation and technology hub over the next decade by creating one central site, with an expandable campus, that can support the entire advanced manufacturing process from conception to production. The new facility will be located near the triangle that consists of the Cortex, an innovation community, NGA West, the new National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency facility, and the Ranken Technical College campus.

In addition to Boeing’s five-year investment, Boeing Phantom Works Vice President Steve Nordlund will join the AMICSTL Board of Directors. Longtime Boeing St. Louis executive Kory Mathews, who is retiring from Boeing later this year, will serve as AMICSTL’s interim CEO.

https://www.militaryaerospace.com/home/article/14282318/boeing-announces-expansion-to-its-advanced-manufacturing-innovation-center

 


Rolls Royce begin work on new Pearl 10X facility in France 0

Rolls-Royce has commenced construction of a new facility in Le Haillan near Bordeaux, France.

The site will support production of the Rolls-Royce Pearl 10X engine, designed for exclusive use with Dassault’s Falcon 10X flagship aircraft.

Construction of the new production support centre begins later this year and will be finished in the first half of 2023, housing offices, a workshop, and a warehouse.

The 2,000 square meter facility will become part of the global Rolls-Royce support network, complemented by a customer service infrastructure of more than 75 authorised service centres, on-wing services specialists in the US, Europe, Middle East and Asia, and several pare parts, lease engine and storage locations.

Dr Philipp Zeller, senior vice president for Dassault, Rolls-Royce, said, “While the Pearl 10X engine development programme for the Dassault Falcon 10X is making good progress, we are already working in parallel on establishing the infrastructure to support Dassault’s flight test activities and its production line.”

https://www.aerospacetestinginternational.com/news/rolls-royce-begin-work-on-new-pearl-10x-facility-in-france.html

 


Firefly Aerospace Names Bill Weber as CEO
   
Experienced A&D Executive to Lead Firefly's Next Phase of Expansive Growth

CEDAR PARK, Texas, Sept. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Firefly Aerospace ("Firefly" or "Company"), an emerging leader in economical launch vehicles, spacecraft, and in-space services, announced today that long-time aerospace and defense executive, Bill Weber, has been named the Company's CEO, effective immediately. Firefly is a portfolio company of AE Industrial Partners ("AEI"), a U.S.-based private equity firm specializing in aerospace, defense & government services, space, power & utility services, and specialty industrial markets.

Mr. Weber previously served as President, CEO, and Director of KeyW Corporation (NASDAQ: KEYW), a leading provider of agile cyber operations and warfare, data analytics, and geospatial satellite payloads and sensors for U.S. government intelligence and defense customers, as well as the commercial sector. During his tenure, he led the Company through a multi-year transformation focusing on driving consistent growth, operational discipline, and divestitures and acquisitions, culminating in the sale of KeyW to Jacobs Engineering Group ( NYSE: J).

"Bill is a proven leader with an impressive record of helping companies successfully navigate change, making him the clear choice to lead Firefly during this transitional growth period," said Peter Schumacher, Partner at AE Industrial Partners, who served as interim CEO of the Company. "His deep experience and strong relationships across many areas of the A&D landscape will be invaluable as Firefly transitions to full-rate production across its portfolio of products. On behalf of the Firefly and AEI teams, I welcome him to the Company."

Mr. Weber most recently founded First Light Acquisition Group as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, a company focused on investing in technology-enabled solutions with mission-critical applications. Prior to KeyW, Mr. Weber served as President and Chief Operating Officer of XLA, a privately-held national security and diplomacy technology firm. He previously was President of Kaseman, a technology services firm providing foreign policy assistance to the U.S. government, and has spent the balance of his career in leadership positions in the technology sector serving the A&D community. A veteran U.S. Army Officer and an Airborne Ranger, Mr. Weber was awarded the Bronze Star for actions during Operation Desert Storm. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Washington University and is a graduate of The Executive Program at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. He currently serves on the boards of Modus eDiscovery, Buchanan Edwards, and America's Warrior Partnership.

"This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to lead a company on the forefront of critical, leading-edge space transportation solutions, and I am honored to join the talented Firefly team," said Mr. Weber. "I respect and admire Firefly's innovative corporate culture, which has led to its success, and I know that Firefly is poised to achieve great things. I look forward to collaborating with the Firefly and AEI teams at this critical juncture in the Company's development."

"We're confident that Firefly will transform the space industry with its game-changing technologies, and Bill's successful track record delivering new technologies for space and defense companies will help to accelerate the Company's vision and market leadership," said Kirk Konert, Chairman of Firefly and Partner at AEI. "As a former public company CEO at KeyW, Bill is the perfect mix of space and defense technologist and is an accomplished executive respected by some of the world's largest financial institutions. I am excited to work closely with him and the management team during the Company's next stage of growth."

Firefly has scheduled the second launch of its Alpha rocket from the Vandenberg Space Force Base for September 11th. It was also announced last month that Firefly has partnered with Northrop Grumman Corporation ( NYSE: NOC) to develop an American-built first-stage upgrade for the Antares rocket and a new medium-lift launch vehicle to serve commercial, civil and national security space launch markets. This unique collaboration will provide American-built engines to replace the Russian-made RD-181 engines.

About Firefly Aerospace
Headquartered in Cedar Park, TX, Firefly Aerospace is an emerging end-to-end space transportation company focused on developing a family of launch vehicles, in-space vehicles, and services to provide industry-leading affordability, convenience, and reliability to its government and commercial customers. Firefly's launch vehicles, combined with their in-space vehicles, such as the Space Utility Vehicle (SUV) and Blue Ghost Lunar Lander, provide the space industry with a single source for missions from LEO to the surface of the Moon and beyond. For more information please see www.firefly.com.

About AE Industrial Partners
AE Industrial Partners is a private equity firm specializing in aerospace, defense & government services, space, power & utility services, and specialty industrial markets. AE Industrial Partners invests in market-leading companies that can benefit from its deep industry knowledge, operating experience, and relationships throughout its target markets. AE Industrial Partners is a signatory to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment and the ILPA Diversity in Action initiative. Learn more at www.aeroequity.com.

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/firefly-aerospace-names-bill-weber-as-ceo-301616142.html

 


Cirrus to buy former Duluth aircraft maintenance facility for $1

The manufacturer promises to bring more jobs to town in return for the subsidized purchase price.

DULUTH — Cirrus Aircraft has struck a quite favorable deal to acquire the former Northwest Airlines aircraft base, more recently home to AAR, a jetliner maintenance, repairs and operations facility.

The Duluth Economic Development Authority, or DEDA, approved an agreement Wednesday night authorizing the sale of the cavernous 189,000-square-foot building at 4600 Stebner Road to Cirrus for $1, as well as the transfer of a prepaid long-term lease for 39 acres of surrounding land.

The fair market value of the property is estimated to be about $9.85 million.

The greatly reduced purchase price is considered a business subsidy that DEDA justifies as a means "to increase purchaser's net jobs in the city and encourage economic development."

For its part, Cirrus will pledge to maintain its local workforce of 1,206 full-time staff and hire at least 80 more people at an hourly wage of at least $36.05 — equating to an annual income of about $75,000, not including benefits.

Cirrus Aircraft of Duluth remains an industry leader in the manufacture of single engine propeller planes and personal jets

Cirrus is Duluth's largest single provider of manufacturing jobs.

In addition to promoting job growth, DEDA hinted that other communities might lure Cirrus away but for the assistance being offered. A business subsidy agreement states: "The subsidy is needed because there are alternative locations under consideration, and the project cost is economically unfeasible without the subsidy."

To further assist Cirrus' expansion in Duluth, the company is in line to receive a $1.2 million tax abatement package, with half of that relief coming from the city and the remainder provided by the county.

The airplane manufacturer also is poised to receive a $500,000 forgivable loan, courtesy of the Minnesota Investment Fund.

Through the first six months of this year, Cirrus has shipped more than $260 million worth of aircraft, with its sales trending 23% ahead of last year's pace, according to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association.

By relinquishing its ownership of the former aircraft maintenance base, DEDA will relieve itself of an ongoing financial burden. The building had sat largely empty since May 2020, when AAR closed up shop , with the travel industry in a pandemic tailspin. AAR's departure resulted in the loss of about 240 jobs.

Maintaining the massive building and its complicated support systems, as well as covering property taxes, costs DEDA nearly $57,000 per month, according to Chris Fleege, the authority's executive director.

"So, for us, coming out from under this will be very helpful and will allow DEDA to really focus on economic development," he said.

https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/business/cirrus-to-buy-former-duluth-aircraft-maintenance-facility-for-1

 


GE Aviation Opens New Asia-Pacific Service Centre in Australia

GE Aviation opened a new state-of-the-art facility in Australia to provide maintenance, repair and overhaul services for customers across the Asia-Pacific region.

The new $8 million Asia-Pacific Service Centre at Brisbane Airport positions GE Aviation to support more customers and expand its presence across the region.

Queensland Assistant Minister to the Premier Bart Mellish MP on Sept. 6 officially opened the facility in a ceremony at Brisbane Airport.

The world-leading facility will be the largest GE Aviation, Systems service center in the Asia-Pacific region. The facility supports avionics, flight management, electrical power and DOWTY propeller systems on various aircraft including the Boeing 737 and 787, Q400 and F-50 regional aircraft, and the Royal Australian Air Force’s fleet of C-130J Super Hercules and C-27J Spartan Military Transport Aircraft.

GE Australia Country Leader Sam Maresh said, “A key part of GE Aviation’s global customer services network, this truly world-class facility offers cutting-edge technology and highly skilled technicians at a one-stop shop for aviation customers from across the Asia-Pacific region. We are delighted to mark a new chapter in our Australian operations and our near two-decade relationship with Brisbane Airport with the opening of a leading aviation servicing facility that creates fresh opportunities for GE Aviation.”

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said, “I welcome the expansion of GE Aviation’s new facility in Brisbane, building on aviation services based at Brisbane Airport servicing the Asia-Pacific region. GE Aviation’s increased investment is an investment in Queensland’s future and is a signal to young people in particular that good jobs are available in a range of industries.”

Brisbane Airport CEO Gert-Jan de Graaff said, “GE Aviation’s partnership with Brisbane Airport continues to go from strength to strength, and we really look forward to building our relationship. This hi-tech workshop is important for the future of the airport, and we welcome the commitment from GE Aviation as a sign of confidence in the growth outlook.”

This new technologically advanced facility will employ more than 80 people and is set to boost the local economy, while also contributing to the growth of Brisbane Airport.

https://www.aviationpros.com/aircraft/maintenance-providers/mro/press-release/21279861/ge-aviation-ge-aviation-opens-new-asiapacific-service-centre-in-australia

 


Curt Lewis