Ball Aerospace Opens New Detector Technology Center
March 24 2006 - 11:23AM
PR Newswire (US)
Expansion Part of a $65 Million Capital Investment BOULDER, Colo.,
March 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ball Aerospace &
Technologies Corp. today opened its new Detector Technology Center
(DTC) which will double focal plane production capacity and
accommodate optical assemblies up to one meter in size. The center
is part of a multi-year, $65-million capital expansion of Ball's
Colorado facilities to accommodate the company's record business
growth and position the company for future programs. The company is
also near completion on the Universal Collimator Assembly (UCA),
which allows system-level vacuum testing of large aperture
telescopes and optical systems. "Ball Aerospace develops and
manufactures ground-breaking technology for aerospace and defense
missions," says David L. Taylor, president and chief executive
officer of Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. "Our program
size and scope continues to increase. This investment in detector
processing capability allows us to remain a leading innovator in
the aerospace industry." Ball Aerospace designs, fabricates, and
tests focal planes for space-based imaging applications. These
applications encompass Earth-observing satellites and space-based
observatories, such as the Hubble Space Telescope. Space-based
detectors are very sensitive to faint light and can image objects
up to a billion times fainter than can be seen by the human eye.
They are also capable of sensing wavelengths of light beyond the
sensitivity of the human eye. The new DTC facility will provide
Ball's customers with state-of-the-art focal plane capabilities for
defense, astronomy and Earth-observing applications. Some of the
most spectacular space images ever taken have been enabled by Ball
Aerospace detector technology. Recent examples include the Hubble
Space Telescope Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS), the Deep Impact
mission and the HiRISE camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
ACS improved the capabilities of the Hubble Space Telescope. Deep
Impact detectors guided the Impactor spacecraft into comet Tempel
1, providing the first look inside a comet. HiRISE is the largest
and highest-resolution camera ever sent beyond Earth's orbit. 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' and
now acts as a technology innovator in 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 and commercial customers. Ball reported
2005 sales of $5.8 billion and the company employs 13,100 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. DATASOURCE: Ball Aerospace &
Technologies Corp. CONTACT: Roz Brown of Ball Aerospace &
Technologies Corp., +1-303-939-6146, Web site:
http://www.ballaerospace.com/
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