Ball Aerospace Completes Payload-to-Bus Integration for Orbital Express NextSat/CSC Spacecraft
February 10 2006 - 3:00PM
PR Newswire (US)
BOULDER, Colo., Feb. 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ball Aerospace
& Technologies Corp. recently completed integration of the
payload and bus modules on the NextSat Commodities Spacecraft
(NextSat/CSC) for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's
(DARPA) Orbital Express program. The NextSat/CSC bus is part of a
dual-satellite mission to demonstrate the capability of robotic
refueling, reconfiguring and repairs of a spacecraft on orbit. The
program is expected to be the first-of-its-kind autonomous
servicing demonstration. (Photo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060210/LAF029) "Ball
Aerospace brings to this program the reputation for innovation that
is needed to change what we know is possible in space," says David
L. Taylor, president and chief executive officer of Ball Aerospace
& Technologies Corp. Payloads recently integrated into the
NextSat/CSC include: a fluid transfer system for the on-orbit
refueling demonstration; a capture mechanism to allow docking with
the servicing spacecraft; and a crosslink transponder for
inter-satellite communications. With the payloads fully integrated,
the NextSat/CSC weighs just under 500 pounds. The spacecraft is now
being readied for integrated systems testing. The Orbital Express
mission includes the Autonomous Space Transfer and Robotic Orbiter,
or ASTRO, and the NextSat/CSC. Launched in a "stacked," or mated,
flight configuration the two spacecraft are designed to transfer
between them spacecraft fuel and an Orbital Replacement Unit (ORU)
containing a backup battery. The two spacecraft will then separate
and demonstrate rendezvous and capture from increasing distances
and levels of autonomy. The NextSat/CSC has a dual role in the
Orbital Express mission emulating the "client" or serviceable
spacecraft, and as the "commodities" spacecraft which, in an
operational spacecraft constellation, would be an orbiting depot
storing fuel and replacement or upgraded spacecraft components. The
NextSat/CSC spacecraft bus design is based on the Ball
Aerospace-built Impactor spacecraft for the Deep Impact mission.
The Impactor was able to autonomously steer itself into the path of
comet Tempel 1 last year, using similar technologies that the
NextSat/CSC spacecraft bus will use to demonstrate rendezvous and
capture sequences during its mission. The Orbital Express program
is funded through DARPA and managed by The Boeing Company. The
Orbital Express team includes Ball Aerospace & Technologies
Corp., the Northrop Grumman Corporation, McDonald Dettwiler and
Associates Ltd., Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Inc. and Starsys
Research Corp. Ball Aerospace celebrates its 50th year in business
in 2006. The company began building pointing controls for military
rockets in 1956, and later won a contract to build one of NASA's
first spacecraft, the Orbiting Solar Observatory. Over the years,
the company has been responsible for numerous technological and
scientific 'firsts.' Ball Aerospace now develops spacecraft,
payloads, systems and components for important national missions.
Ball Corporation (NYSE:BLL) is a supplier of high-quality metal and
plastic packaging products and owns Ball Aerospace &
Technologies Corp., which develops sensors, spacecraft, systems and
components for government customers. The company employs more than
13,500 people worldwide. Forward-Looking Statements This news
release contains "forward-looking" statements concerning future
events and financial performance. Words such as "expects,"
"anticipates," "estimates," and variations of same and similar
expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements.
Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties which could
cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or
implied. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or
revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise. Key risks and
uncertainties are summarized in filings with the Securities and
Exchange Commission, including in Exhibit 99.2 in our Form 10-K.
These filings are available at our Web site and at
http://www.sec.gov/. Factors that might affect our packaging
segments include fluctuation in consumer and customer demand and
preferences; availability and cost of raw materials, including
recent significant increases in resin, steel, aluminum and energy
costs, and the ability to pass such increases on to customers;
competitive packaging availability, pricing and substitution;
changes in climate and weather; fruit, vegetable and fishing
yields; industry productive capacity and competitive activity;
failure to achieve anticipated productivity improvements or
production cost reductions, including those associated with our
beverage can end project; the German mandatory deposit or other
restrictive packaging laws; changes in major customer or supplier
contracts or loss of a major customer or supplier; changes in
foreign exchange rates, tax rates and activities of foreign
subsidiaries; and the effect of LIFO accounting. Factors that might
affect our aerospace segment include: funding, authorization,
availability and returns of government contracts; and delays,
extensions and technical uncertainties affecting segment contracts.
Factors that might affect the company as a whole include those
listed plus: acquisitions, joint ventures or divestitures;
regulatory action or laws including tax, environmental and
workplace safety; governmental investigations; technological
developments and innovations; goodwill impairment; antitrust,
patent and other litigation; strikes; labor cost changes; rates of
return projected and earned on assets of the company's defined
benefit retirement plans; reduced cash flow; interest rates
affecting our debt; and changes to unaudited results due to
statutory audits or other effects.
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060210/LAF029
http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Ball Aerospace &
Technologies Corp. CONTACT: Media, Emilia Reed, +1-303-533-6059, ,
for Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. Web site:
http://www.ballaerospace.com/
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