BOULDER, Colo., Jan. 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Ball Aerospace
& Technologies Corp. expects to have initiated the procurement
of the majority of avionics and electronics components required to
build the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS-1) spacecraft bus by
the end of March 2012. Ball Aerospace
is leading the design and development effort for NOAA's JPSS-1
satellite, and building the JPSS-1 Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite
(OMPS).
"In a challenging budget environment, Ball Aerospace is
gratified to have 2012 funding secured and to be making progress on
the JPSS-1 spacecraft," said Cary
Ludtke, vice president general manager for Ball's Civil and
Operational Space business unit.
Ball expects to ramp-up JPSS-1 spacecraft production work in the
summer of 2012, with a Delta Critical Design Review scheduled for
September of this year. Assembly of the spacecraft will begin in
2013. Satellite bus completion is expected in 2014 followed by
instrument integration and satellite level environmental
test.
The JPSS operational weather system includes the satellites and
sensors that support civil weather and climate measurements in the
afternoon orbit, as well as a ground system. These satellites
deliver approximately 90 percent of the information collected for
numerical forecasting models that generate critical weather
forecasts and convey warnings to the public about climate and
weather events.
In addition to the spacecraft, Ball Aerospace will manufacture,
test and deliver the OMPS for the five-instrument JPSS-1
suite. The instrument is similar to the OMPS built by Ball
and successfully launched aboard the NPP satellite, in October 2011. Ball Aerospace also built the NPP
satellite.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will operate
the JPSS satellite following its scheduled launch in 2016.
Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. supports critical
missions of important national agencies such as the Department of
Defense, NASA, NOAA and other U.S. government and commercial
entities. The company develops and manufactures spacecraft,
advanced instruments and sensors, components, data exploitation
systems and RF solutions for strategic, tactical and scientific
applications. For more information visit www.ballaerospace.com.
Ball Corporation (NYSE:BLL) is a supplier of high quality
packaging for beverage, food and household products customers, and
of aerospace and other technologies and services, primarily for the
U.S. government. Ball Corporation and its subsidiaries employ more
than 14,500 people worldwide and reported 2010 sales of more than
$7.6 billion. For the latest Ball
news and for other company information, please visit
http://www.ball.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains "forward-looking" statements concerning
future events and financial performance. Words such as "expects,"
"anticipates," "estimates" 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 Exhibit 99.2
in our Form 10-K, which are available on our website and at
www.sec.gov. Factors that might affect our packaging segments
include fluctuation in product demand and preferences; availability
and cost of raw materials; competitive packaging availability,
pricing and substitution; changes in climate and weather; crop
yields; competitive activity; failure to achieve anticipated
productivity improvements or production cost reductions; mandatory
deposit or other restrictive packaging laws; changes in major
customer or supplier contracts or loss of a major customer or
supplier; political instability and sanctions; and changes in
foreign exchange rates or tax rates. Factors that might affect our
aerospace segment include: funding, authorization, availability and
returns of government and commercial contracts; and delays,
extensions and technical uncertainties affecting segment contracts.
Factors that might affect the company as a whole include those
listed plus: accounting changes; changes in senior management; the
recent global recession and its effects on liquidity, credit risk,
asset values and the economy; successful or unsuccessful
acquisitions; regulatory action or laws including tax,
environmental, health and workplace safety, including U.S. FDA and
other actions affecting products filled in our containers, or
chemicals or substances used in raw materials or in the
manufacturing process; 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; pension changes; uncertainties
surrounding the U.S. government budget and debt limit; reduced cash
flow; interest rates affecting our debt; and changes to unaudited
results due to statutory audits or other effects.
SOURCE Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.