AUGUST 1, 2019 - No. 061 In This Issue PAE Gets $50M Navy Aircraft Maintenance Contract Modification UAT Growing Aircraft Maintenance Idea in Secure Erie Accelerator SkyWest To Lease ACI Jet Hangar for New Mx Base L2 Consulting Services, Inc. Partners With GE Aviation for Installation Services Seven Ways to Reduce Operational Disruptions BBA To Sell Ontic To Investors, Focus On Signature. Arrow Aviation Obtains China CAAC Mx Approval. NASA, SPACE X and Other Unexpected Paths Focus of August 3 Conversation on Out of this World Careers in Aviation Maintenance The Air Force Only Has 6 Working B-1B Bombers Department of Homeland Security says small planes are vulnerable to hacking 'Disaster waiting to happen' as airlines increase use of offshore repair centers First Aviation Services Invests In Helicopter MRO NASA agrees to work with SpaceX on orbital refueling technology PAE Gets $50M Navy Aircraft Maintenance Contract Modification The U.S. Navy has awarded PAE's aviation and technical services business a potential one-year, $50.4M contract modification to continue providing logistics and depot maintenance support services for the service branch's F-5F and F-5N aircraft. The company will perform work at naval stations in Nevada, Arizona and Florida through July 2020, the Department of Defense said Monday. Naval Air Systems Command initially awarded the indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to PAE in 2016. https://blog.executivebiz.com/2019/07/pae-gets-50m-navy-aircraft-maintenance-contract- modification/ Back to Top UAT Growing Aircraft Maintenance Idea in Secure Erie Accelerator Meet UAT - United Aircraft Technologies. Its another business in the current cohort of the Secure Erie Accelerator. They've developed a little wiring clamp with big implications for the aviation industry. Co-founder and CEO Evaguel Rhysing explained what they do. "We basically make clamps for aircraft wiring that reduce the weight of an aircraft and simplify maintenance by having in-house sensors that can monitor the integrity of the aircraft wiring and localize faults." Her husband and partner Daryian Rhysing came up with the idea for a better, lighter, easier to install clamp after 12 years of pain working as an aircraft electrician for the Army and Navy, because the traditional metal clamps were taxing his hands. "They were very difficult to install, they act like a spring so I developed carpal tunnel syndrome," Rhysing said, "I thought there was a more ergonomic way to do this installation...this is how I came up with the idea." Because aircraft modifications come into play every 90 days, the wiring bundles held by clamps have to be undone and reattached over and over, and you can multiply that by thousands. "So this is very difficult because a Blackhawk helicopter has about 1000 of these metal clamps and Boeing you can find 15 thousand of these clamps," Daryian said. So he developed a new clamp that acts like a buckle that you click together, and attach to a mount. And because Sikorsky, makers of Blackhawk liked what they saw, they awarded the startup a three year contract offering their engineering and testing expertise. The product is expected to be military spec certified by the fall and with expertise from Erie manufacturers such as Plastek, the company hopes to start a production hub here. "That means that towards the beginning of next year we most likely will be mass producing in Erie," Evaguel said. They will also be working with engineering students at Penn State Erie and Gannon Universities on choosing light weight materials and developing smart nanotechnology to go inside the clamps. The smart clamps will then be part of an augmented reality to pinpoint where wiring has issues and needs to be repaired. https://www.erienewsnow.com/story/40856377/uat-growing-aircraft-maintenance-idea-in-secure- erie-accelerator Back to Top SkyWest To Lease ACI Jet Hangar for New Mx Base ACI Jet will lease a 17,000-sq-ft hangar at San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport (SBP) to SkyWest Airlines for a maintenance base that's expected to create more than 40 new jobs, the central California FBO operator, MRO provider, charter operator, and aircraft management firm announced late last week. The hangar, which ACI acquired and renovated, was previously an American Airlines maintenance hangar. Housing up to five regional aircraft simultaneously, the hangar will support overnight maintenance of SkyWest's fleet of nearly 500 regional jets. It is expected to be operational in September. "ACI has been built by Californians committed to California and this is a great example of how we work to best serve the communities we support," said ACI Jet CEO William Borgsmiller. "We are excited about our relationship with SkyWest Airlines and the opportunities they bring in the form of jobs to our San Luis Obispo community." Borgsmiller explained that his company is working with community colleges in the area to develop an aviation maintenance program to serve as a pipeline for SkyWest and others at SBP, as well as ACI Jet, which last month was named an authorized service facility for Bombardier Business Aircraft. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2019-07-30/skywest-lease-aci-jet- hangar-new-mx-base Back to Top L2 Consulting Services, Inc. Partners With GE Aviation for Installation Services DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas, July 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- L2 Aviation, a recognized leader in avionics integrations, modifications and remote installations, has partnered with GE Aviation to provide remote installation services for the Avionica miniQAR Mk III Quick Access Recorder (Avionica is a GE Aviation company). Under the agreement, L2's Remote Avionics Maintenance Services (RAMS) will travel to an aircraft's location and install all hardware, wiring and perform functional testing, returning the aircraft to service under its FAA Part 145 certificate. L2 originally provided certification services of the miniQAR in April 2018 with an (AML) Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for Part 23 turbine aircraft under a commercial agreement with Avionica. The STC included Honda Jet, Eclipse 500, Cirrus Vision Jet, TBM, PC-12s, Cessna Citation 510s and 525s, Embraer 100 and 300, all Textron Beechcraft King Air models plus many other Part 23 turbine aircraft. This new services agreement with GE is an extension of L2's extensive knowledge and experience with miniQAR integration and how they connect and collect data on Part 23 turbine aircraft. "This is a new and exciting time for L2 as it partners with one of the landmark technology and Fortune 100 companies to provide some of the most valuable parts of a transaction, the direct contact with the customer," said Mark Lebovitz, President of L2 Aviation. "L2 was started as a remote maintenance provider, so after 22 years and hundreds of repeat customers in all aviation segments, we feel confident we can represent GE Aviation with its customers to the level of customer interaction they expect." "We've appreciated L2's strong support in the installation of the miniQAR Mk III/avCM combination for operators needing to transmit flight data while on the ground and connected to a local cellular network from anywhere in the world," said Sean Reilly, vice president of Business Development for Avionica. "I see this relationship continuing to grow and get stronger now as part of GE Aviation." L2 has already performed several installations of Avionica's miniQARs, as well as their avCM-4G cellular module providing greater data acquisition and instant ground based cellular transmission to maintenance providers and FOQA providers like Austin Digital (acquired by GE Aviation in 2012). About L2 L2 Consulting Services, Inc. (www.L2aviation.com) provides avionics engineering, integration and installation services (FAA CRS L2ZR265X) for the global air transport industry. Since 1997, the company has been performing integration of digital avionics systems into analog and digital aircraft. Additionally, L2 offers full installation and support capabilities for AOG situations, normal aircraft inspections and mandates such as ADS-B. L2 specializes in Satcom, EFB, e-Enabled, Flat Panels Displays, ACARS/DataLink, RAAS, TAWS, Terminal and Cabin Wireless, Flight Data and FMS among other avionics systems. About Avionica Avionica, LLC is a GE Aviation company that has been headquartered in Miami, Fla. for more than 25 years. The company is a world leader in the design and manufacture of innovative, safety- qualified, state-of-the-art data collection and data transmission products for aircraft. More than 9,000 of Avionica's Quick Access Recorders (QAR) have been delivered around the world, with Supplemental Type Certification (STC) earned on more than 300 models of air transport, business and general aviation aircraft. For more information, visit www.avionica.com. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/l2-consulting-services-inc-partners-150950301.html Back to Top Seven Ways to Reduce Operational Disruptions The cost of aircraft maintenance is not just the direct cost of fixing or replacing parts. The worldwide cost of flight delays, one type of operational disruption, is over $26 billion. The cost of a grounded aircraft can be felt in passenger dissatisfaction and can affect the bottom line. As the industry matures, Honeywell Aerospace is providing new technologies for safer and smarter flights. Opening the data pipe to and from the aircraft has made it easier than ever to anticipate issues and reduce operational disruptions like delays and cancelations due to maintenance issues. Here are seven ways in which Honeywell Forge for Airlines can improve airline operations: TURN AIRCRAFT DATA INTO ACTIONABLE METRICS With satellite communication, turning data into actionable metrics helps customers keep operations at optimal efficiency. Capturing and analyzing data on usage and wear enables flight crews to more efficiently inspect auxiliary power units (APUs), wheels and brakes, and environmental control systems, leading to more rapid and streamlined maintenance processes and lower costs. PREDICT WHICH AIRCRAFT COMPONENTS NEED MAINTENANCE OR REPLACEMENT BEFORE THEY FAIL Having the ability to predict when your airplane needs repairs greatly reduces downtime and associated costs. Predictive analysis works through wireless connections to multiple mechanical systems, giving ground crews a clear view into the state of each aircraft component and system. Knowing when maintenance is needed or when a breakage is imminent helps crews address issues before they become emergencies, creating a safer and more enjoyable flight. ALERT CREWS WHEN MAINTENANCE IS NEEDED FOR FAST REPLACEMENT DELIVERY Predictive analysis helps ground crews minimize maintenance cycles through advanced notice, allowing them to order the right parts at the right time. The Connected Aircraft enables connected data loading and connected maintenance which reduce aircraft on-ground time and costs. IMPROVE AIRCRAFT AVAILABILITY WITH PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE AND PRESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION With Honeywell Forge for Airlines, you get more than just system health monitoring and trend analysis. The solution can predict potential failures, but also provides a greater amount of data that identifies trouble with parts down to the subcomponent level-plus information about necessary repair or replacement procedures. In this way, operators can improve their first-time-fix rate and potentially cut troubleshooting time by up to 25%, enjoy 99% prediction accuracy, see a 10% to 15% reduction in premature removals and reduce inoperative equipment by 35%. This helps significantly reduce aircraft-on-ground (AOG) time, allowing customers to get more from your aircraft and crew members. REDUCE THE NEED TO KEEP SPARE COMPONENTS ON HAND With Honeywell Forge for Airlines, predictive data combined with prescriptive actions can help reduce time to repair and increase aircraft uptime and availability. Minimizing the potential for surprises also means you don't have to keep so many spare components on hand, because crews are alerted ahead of time when failures are imminent. By using our analytics solutions, maintenance crews have been able to reduce their overall on-hand spares by an average of 10% and have also reduced overall life-cycle costs by an average of 15%. IMPROVE AIRLINE OPERATIONS USING MOBILE DEVICES With connected systems, the same data can be shared across flight planning, tracking and post- flight groups. Solutions with wireless data transfer give your in-flight crew the same information as ground-based crew so that systems and departments can communicate and make decisions together. This recently enabled one European airline to manage turnarounds and reduce flight delays by 22%, while also improving on-time performance by 30%.The power to schedule maintenance before it's needed can significantly reduce costs and downtime. Learn how Honeywell Forge for Airlines can improve your fleet performance while saving you more money. ENSURE THAT CREWS DON'T WASTE TIME AND EFFORT ON UNNECESSARY APU REMOVALS. Honeywell's connected maintenance solution for APUs is a highly sophisticated system that provides continuous APU monitoring for our customers. As data is gathered from the unit, it is compared with benchmark information in our database, which means we can monitor the APU's performance and stay aware when potential faults are identified-such as a line replaceable unit that is going to fail. The system notifies the airline at least three days before the failure is predicted to occur. With very specific information, maintenance teams can quickly pinpoint the problem and take care of repair or replacement before the component fails. The solution has been proven to reduce APU- related flight delays by 35%, with fewer than 1.5% unnecessary removals. https://www.ainonline.com/sponsored-content/aerospace/2019-07-30/seven-ways-reduce- operational-disruptions Back to Top BBA To Sell Ontic To Investors, Focus On Signature Less than a year after bolting on smaller rival Firstmark, parent company BBA Aviation announced July 30 that it will sell component OEM and MRO provider Ontic to private equity investor CVC Capital Partners for $1.365 billion. BBA said the move will help it focus on its global FBO operator Signature Flight Support. "BBA shareholders will continue to benefit from Signature's ability to outperform the business and general aviation market through the cycle, as well as Signature's ability to take advantage of its significant opportunities for future growth," the company said in a prepared statement. "We remain committed to delivering long-term sustainable value from Signature, a strongly free cash generative business, which after funding investment requirements, should underpin both progressive dividends and ongoing returns of capital to shareholders." Ontic's portfolio includes a variety of mechanical and electro-mechanical parts, seat belts, drive motors, fuel probes and such. The brand distinguishes itself by taking over production when an OEM decides that a particular product is no longer core to its business. Last October, it closed on its acquisition of Firstmark, building out both the product portfolio and footprint by adding locations in Long Island and North Carolina, to Ontic's earlier sites in the UK, California and Singapore. Technically, BBA will sell Ontic to the CVC Fund Vll, subject to BBA shareholder approval and regulatory consents. The deal is designed on a cash-free, debt-free basis. The deal's multiple was "meaningfully above" BBA's own trading multiple of 11.4x underlying pretax earnings for fiscal 2018, according to the seller. BBA bought Ontic in February 2006 for $67 million and grew through acquisition of licenses, organic and inorganic growth, and a disciplined approach to investment, BBA said. It now supports more than 39,000 legacy aircraft, through its portfolio of more than 165 licenses for more than 7,000 parts and more than 1,200 customers worldwide. The sale should close in the fourth quarter, according to BBA. It is expected to return to be between $750-850 million to shareholders. https://www.mro-network.com/maintenance-repair-overhaul/bba-sell-ontic-investors-focus- signature Back to Top Arrow Aviation Obtains China CAAC Mx Approval Helicopter MRO provider Arrow Aviation has been approved as a Part 145 maintenance organization by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), the Broussard, Louisiana company announced. CAAC certification adds to its maintenance approvals from the FAA, EASA, Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport (MOLIT), and Brazil's ANAC. "Receiving this certification from the CAAC is an honor and the result of much hard work and effort by all involved," said Arrow general manager David Guidry. "We appreciate the support extended to us by the CAAC during this certification process and look forward to supporting the aviation community in China with exceptional service." Operating from an 80,000-sq-ft facility, Arrow specializes in helicopter maintenance and completions for commercial, offshore, corporate, and emergency medical services operators. It is a Leonardo Excellent Service Center, Bell-Textron Customer Service Center, Airbus Helicopter Service Center, and Sikorsky-authorized maintenance center. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2019-07-30/arrow-aviation-obtains- china-caac-mx-approval Back to Top NASA, SPACE X and Other Unexpected Paths Focus of August 3 Conversation on Out of this World Careers in Aviation Maintenance PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics will host a multi-city conversation on Saturday, August 3, 2019 at 11 a.m. at its main campus in Pittsburgh located at 5 Allegheny County Airport, West Mifflin, PA as well as in Myrtle Beach, Youngstown and Hagerstown. From Katie Folmar, who's career path from PIA has her consumed into NASA's Space Launch System, the multibillion-dollar launcher expected to lead humans to back to the moon and beyond - to Chris Hoffman whose PIA path now includes performing the tasks of a launch engineer at Stealth, by way of SpaceX - connect with PIA graduates and representatives, and employers to discuss unexpected, out of this world career paths. "August 3rd gives both PIA and a variety of employers the opportunity to deliver critical information about career demand to potential students," said Suzanne Markle, president and CEO of the non- profit PIA. "That we continue to host events at each of our campuses with such enthusiastic support from the employment community is a strong indicator of sustained career demand. We look forward to the opportunity to serve new students and prepare them with the entry-level mechanic skills we know our employers require." PIA administration and attending employers will also be available to discuss issues trending in aviation maintenance career education, such as overcoming stigma for girls in trade careers, the merit of employer partnerships in training qualified workforce and recent comparisons benchmarking the salaries of graduates of traditional colleges and universities and the trades - revealing PIA's ranking in the top three in Southwestern Pennsylvania and among the top 20 of all colleges and universities in the state. Other financial experts have also noticed PIA's impressive return on investment for its graduates, with Forbes ranking PIA the #1 two-year trade school in the entire U.S. https://www.aviationpros.com/education-training/press-release/21090858/nasa-space-x-and- other-unexpected-paths-focus-of-august-3-conversation-on-out-of-this-world-careers-in-aviation- maintenance Back to Top The Air Force Only Has 6 Working B-1B Bombers A crisis? At the Senate confirmation hearing for Gen. John Hyten on Jul. 30, 2019 it was disclosed that the U.S. Air Force has only six fully mission-capable B-1B bombers. The B-1 fleet is in the midst of an intensive slate of maintenance work and upgrades. Of the 61 jets, 15 are in depot maintenance and 39 aircraft are down for inspections or other issues, Sen. Mike Rounds, a South Dakota senator, said during the hearing. As reported by Air Force Magazine, in response, Hyten implored lawmakers to provide B-1 maintenance funding to reverse the fleet's problems. "We were just beating the heck out of them, deploying them, deploying them," Hyten said. "We had to pull back a little and get after fixing those issues. The depots can do that if they have stable funding." The House Armed Services seapower and projection forces subcommittee hinted at the issue in legislation earlier this year. House lawmakers asked the U.S. Air Force (USAF) to report back with a readiness recovery plan for the conventionally armed bomber. Long known as a workhorse overseas, the B-1s were grounded for nearly four weeks this spring due to issues with an ejection seat. According to the subcommittee's version of the 2020 defense policy bill, Senators want the Air Force to take more responsibility for solving the problems. "The committee is concerned B-1 readiness does not have the priority and resources to improve B-1 mission-capable rates," the report states. "This is evidenced by fully mission-capable aircraft currently in single digits and aircrew being rerouted from flying the B-1 to other aircraft due to lack of B-1 aircraft for training." The Air Force also grounded B-1s in June 2018, after the wing of an aircraft from Dyess AFB, Tex., caught fire during training-and the ejection seat would not budge. Gen. Timothy Ray, head of Air Force Global Strike Command, has acknowledged B-1 inspections as necessary for the aging fleet despite affecting readiness. The Boeing-built B-1s entered service in the 1980s, but didn't fly their first combat mission until 1998. Since then, however, it's been a workhorse. "It's not a young airplane," Ray said. "Wear and tear is part of the things we find." https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/scary-fact-air-force-only-has-6-working-b-1b-bombers- 70391 Back to Top Department of Homeland Security says small planes are vulnerable to hacking A federal agency is warning small plane owners that some flight systems are vulnerable to hackers. WESH 2 News has learned that if someone has physical access to the planes, they could change flight readings. WESH 2 News spoke with local experts to find out whether pilots are at risk. Central Florida is home to many different flying clubs, flight schools and airports that house small planes. The Department of Homeland Security says it is finding out about a vulnerability in small airplanes. The agency is sending a security alert to plane owners on Tuesday, recommending the owners restrict unauthorized physical access to their planes. A cybersecurity firm told the government a hacker could potentially alter engine readings, altitude, the compass and other readings to give a pilot intentionally wrong measurements. WESH 2 News spoke with Eric Jones, the aviation maintenance services chair at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach to find out what would happen to planes that are affected. He says a pilot should recognize the malfunctioning instruments before leaving the hangar. "It will raise a flag. A red indicating flag that says, 'I'm not acting correctly,' and it will tell the pilot that instrument is not acting correctly," Jones said. John Mazur lives in the Spruce Creek Fly-in community. He has dozens of years of experience flying different types of planes and has flown into airports around the world. He says runways and hangars have strict security measures. "Just to get here where we were, it took a lot of security and checking with people. Just for people to allow us to be here. Even qualified pilots who have and own these airplanes can't get out here unless they're ready to use their airplane," Mazur said. The federal government says there is no evidence anyone has exploited this new vulnerability in planes yet. "The risk of an airplane crashing as a result of this is incredibly slim," Jones said. The Department of Homeland Security recommends manufacturers alter their planes to limit a hacker's ability to influence plane systems. https://www.wesh.com/article/department-of-homeland-security-says-small-planes-are-vulnerable- to-hacking/28558398 Back to Top 'Disaster waiting to happen' as airlines increase use of offshore repair centers Somewhere on the ground in São Paulo, Brazil, an aircraft technician needed help. He was a man of about 40, posting a friendly inquiry onto LinkedIn this year with pictures of a metal sphere he didn't recognize deep inside an American Airlines jet. He had no idea what it was. "Hi everyone. This component is located on the Engine Rolls Royce Trent 800," wrote the mechanic, in broken English, smiling in his profile picture next to an AA passenger plane. "Does someone could give me a technical information...? What is the function of that component ....? I searched long about it, and I did not find..." This earnest message, sent by a technician proudly identifying himself as an American Airlines employee in Brazil, was received with alarm by his colleagues in the United States. If this foreign worker was unable to even identify the equipment in front of him, located on a Boeing 777 jet, how was he supposed to fix it? It was more evidence of risks to passengers and crew as domestic air carriers increasingly use offshore repair centers in South America and Asia, where standards can be lower in crucial areas of safety, training, and worker competence. Crowdsourcing technical knowledge falls far short of what is required to keep these exceedingly complicated airplanes flying safely. "It's a disaster waiting to happen," John Samuelsen, president of the 150,000-member Transport Workers Union, told Capital & Main. In 2003, according to TWU, only 7% of repair work was being done overseas. Now it is 30%. There are more than 900 foreign repair stations currently certified by the Federal Aviation Administration- including a new $100 million aircraft maintenance facility in São Paulo. American Airlines alone employs about 400 technicians on foreign soil. "In South America or in China, the workers that they hire are not required to go through the same rigorous testing and certification," said Samuelsen. "No criminal background checks, no random drug testing, no certification requirements that exist with the airline carriers in America." Samuelsen provided Capital & Main with TWU photographs, reports, and emails that document instances of what he described as unsound repairs, faulty wiring, and other stopgap measures that would never be allowed at a U.S. facility. According to a 2018 memo from TWU vice-president Gary Peterson, a Boeing 787 with a cracked high-pressure duct was serviced in Chile, then arrived in Chicago with the duct held together by tape and wire. "This is a high-pressure duct that operates a valve critical for the safety of engine operations, which could have caused a catastrophic in-flight event," the TWU email warned. "This type of item is no longer the exception but more the norm." https://www.fastcompany.com/90384118/disaster-waiting-to-happen-as-airlines-increase-use-of- offshore-repair-centers Back to Top First Aviation Services Invests In Helicopter MRO Connecticut-based MRO First Aviation Services is deepening its investment into the helicopter market with its latest acquisition of Aviation Blade Services (ABS). The provider of helicopter rotor blade MRO is best known for its expertise in Sikorsky rotor blades, possessing what First Aviation Services calls "the most extensive library of Sikorsky rotor blade maintenance and manufacturing technical data outside of Sikorsky." The acquisition is First Aviation Services' second investment in the helicopter market in recent months. In April, it acquired DART Aerospace-which manufactures helicopter mission equipment and aftermarket components-in partnership with Greenbriar Equity Group. According to a representative for First Aviation Services, the company's decision to invest more into helicopter MRO was prompted by industry trends it is beginning to see. "We believe we are at a trough in the civilian helicopter operations market. In the military and para-military markets, operators are asking for alternatives to the OEMs, which tend to be unresponsive and expensive," says the representative. "We see a significant opportunity with the [Sikorsky UH-60] Black Hawk helicopters moving into the civilian market." Aviation Week's 2019 Fleet & MRO Forecast predicts MRO demand for Sikorsky helicopters within the civil market will reach $5.1 billion over the next decade. Within the military market, demand will reach $83 billion over the same time frame. Prior to the recent acquisitions, First Aviation Services says its involvement with helicopter MRO was minimal. The company says it plans to continue looking for additional investment opportunities within the helicopter market. Post-acquisition, both ABS and DART Aerospace will operate independently with access to First Aviation Services' full engineering and financial resources. https://www.mro-network.com/maintenance-repair-overhaul/first-aviation-services-invests- helicopter-mro Back to Top NASA agrees to work with SpaceX on orbital refueling technology On Tuesday afternoon, NASA announced 19 new partnerships with 10 US companies to help bring more cutting-edge technologies closer to production use in spaceflight. There were a lot of useful engineering ideas here, such as precision landing systems and robotic plant farms, but perhaps the most intriguing one involved the rocket company SpaceX and two of NASA's field centers-the Glenn Research Center in Ohio and the Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama. "SpaceX will work with Glenn and Marshall to advance technology needed to transfer propellant in orbit, an important step in the development of the company's Starship space vehicle," the NASA news release states. This is a significant announcement for reasons both technical and political. For its part, SpaceX welcomed the opportunity to help advance NASA's Artemis Program, which NASA hopes will send humans to the Moon by 2024 (and, later on, to Mars). "We believe SpaceX's fleet of advanced rockets and spacecraft, including Falcon Heavy and Starship, are integral to accelerating NASA's lunar and Mars plans," a company spokesperson told Ars. Technical One of SpaceX's principal engineers behind the Starship project, Paul Wooster, has identified orbital refueling as one of most difficult technology challenges the company will have to overcome in order to realize its Mars ambitions. Under some scenarios by which the company aims to send humans to Mars, a Super Heavy rocket would launch a Mars-bound Starship to low-Earth orbit. At that point, the spacecraft would need to top its fuel tanks back up in order to get its payload all the way to the Red Planet. It's estimated that five Starship launches' worth of fuel (as payload) would be required to refuel a single Mars- bound Starship in low-Earth orbit, and this would involve the transfer of hundreds of tons of methane and liquid oxygen. Such refueling technology would also be useful for others besides NASA. "I've got a stack of studies that go from the floor to the ceiling that list the critical technologies needed for humans to become long-term explorers in deep space, and in-space refueling is always on the list," said Bobby Braun, a former chief technologist at NASA who is now dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder. "It's the key for sustainability." The new partnership recognizes SpaceX's maturity as a leading space transportation company, Braun said. And Glenn and Marshall are the right centers for SpaceX to partner with, even if there simultaneously exists a strong rivalry between SpaceX's low-cost rockets and Marshall's lead development of NASA's Space Launch System rocket. NASA has previously done considerable work studying the handling, transfer of, and storage of rocket fuels such as liquid oxygen, hydrogen, and methane in space-they are difficult to work with and susceptible to boil off in the space environment (hydrogen atoms can even migrate directly through metal fuel tanks). Under the new Space Act Agreement, NASA's Space Technology program will fund the time the agency's people spend working on these problems and any agency test facilities used. In effect, teams from the company and agency will work together to solve the problem, each paying for its own part of the effort. "The civil servants at Marshall and at Glenn are very talented in this area," Braun said. "The people at SpaceX clearly know their system, both the capabilities and the needs of the Starship architecture. The fact that they're all going to get together in the same room, and work on the same problem, that's tremendous." Political Braun served as chief technologist in 2010, back when the Obama administration created NASA's Space Technology program to foster just this kind of innovation in America's private space industry. It was a contentious time in space policy, as the White House was pushing for more funding for new space companies-and new space ideas such as fuel-storage depots-while Congress wanted to keep NASA in the rocket-building business. Eventually, Congress got the upper hand, putting NASA on track to build the large SLS rocket at a development cost of more than $2 billion a year. The rocket program mostly benefited the Alabama space center and was championed by Alabama State Senator Richard Shelby. The potential of in- space fuel storage and transfer threatened the SLS rocket because it would allow NASA to do some exploration missions with smaller and cheaper rockets. As one source explained at the time, "Senator Shelby called NASA and said if he hears one more word about propellant depots he's going to cancel the Space Technology program." The line from other NASA officials was that as a technology, propellant depots were not ready for prime time. In 2011, former NASA Administrator Mike Griffin and current Executive Secretary of the National Space Council Scott Pace-both SLS advocates-wrote a withering criticism of the technology for Space News. "Fuel depots as an element of a near-term space architecture are an example of magical thinking at its best, a wasteful distraction supported by the kinds of poorly vetted assumptions that can cause a concept to appear deceptively attractive," Griffin and Pace wrote. Ironically, their chosen heavy- lift rocket for use in NASA's "near-term" architecture, the SLS rocket, remains badly behind schedule and over budget. It is unlikely to fly meaningful exploration missions for at least three or four more years and is holding up the Trump administration's Artemis plan. Some engineers at NASA still wanted to solve the fuel storage and transfer issue in 2011 and put together a $400 million depot development plan. This would have included an in-space demonstration of the technology. They argued that both orbital refueling and large rockets were vital for a sustainable exploration plan. However, Congress never adequately funded the effort, and it fizzled into a series of lesser ground tests. A consultant to NASA at the time, Charles Miller, was among those performing studies to show that the use of propellant depots could significantly lower exploration costs for NASA. On Tuesday, he praised the Trump administration and NASA chief Jim Bridenstine for putting the Space Technology program to good use. "Administrator Bridenstine is clearly executing on President's Trump's guidance to increase commercial public-private-partnerships at NASA," Miller, now chief executive of UbiquitiLink, told Ars. "The game-changing technology that NASA has discovered is capitalism. This program proves NASA leadership has figured out the future is reusability mixed with commercial public-private- partnerships." https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/07/nasa-agrees-to-work-with-spacex-on-orbital-refueling- technology/ Curt Lewis