BROOMFIELD, Colo., Sept. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ball
Aerospace-built Operational Land Imager 2 (OLI-2) instrument
successfully launched today aboard Landsat 9, the latest in a
series of joint missions between NASA and the United States
Geological Society (USGS) that has provided essential monitoring of
key natural and economic resources from orbit for nearly 50
years.
"It is an honor to be a part of this important launch that will
carry the Landsat mission into its next decade of existence and
continue the longest-running Earth observation program," said Dr.
Makenzie Lystrup, vice president and
general manager, Civil Space, Ball Aerospace. "Our goal was to
develop a technologically advanced solution that was both cost
effective and capable of delivering highly-calibrated multispectral
imagery and improved land surface information. This launch is the
culmination of a lot of hard work by a lot of talented people to
achieve that goal."
In addition to the instrument (OLI-2), Ball designed and built
the cryocooler that will keep Landsat 9's Thermal Infrared Sensor 2
(TIRS-2) chilled to a frigid 40 Kelvin (-388 F). The TIRS-2
instrument, designed and built by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center,
measures thermal radiance emitted from the Earth's surface.
The OLI-2 instrument, similar to its predecessor – OLI-1
launched in 2013 – is a push-broom sensor with a four-mirror
telescope that takes measurements in the visible, near infrared and
shortwave infrared portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. The
OLI-2 instrument on Landsat 9 will image the Earth every 16 days in
an eight-day offset with Landsat 8. Landsat 9 will collect as many
as 750 scenes per day, and with Landsat 8, the two satellites will
add nearly 1,500 new scenes a day to the USGS Landsat archive.
Since 1972, Landsat satellites have provided essential
measurements to help the Nation make informed decisions about
natural resource management, including compiling routine drought
assessments; developing wildfire prevention strategies; monitoring
land surface changes; evaluating agricultural production; and
understanding the Earth's ecosystem.
As Landsat 9 begins its tour of duty, Ball is already exploring
innovative technologies that could support future Landsat missions.
It recently completed three studies for NASA examining the
potential for precisely calibrated sensors that are significantly
smaller, lighter and use less power. Additionally, Ball was
selected in August to conduct two six-month architecture studies on
extending Ball's Operational Land Imager (OLI) and Reduced Envelope
Multispectral Imager (REMI) instrument designs to address new
spectral bands, improved spatial resolution and new orbit
parameters.
Powered by endlessly curious people with an unwavering mission
focus, Ball Aerospace pioneers discoveries that enable our
customers to perform beyond expectation and protect what matters
most. We create innovative space solutions, enable more accurate
weather forecasts, drive insightful observations of our planet,
deliver actionable data and intelligence, and ensure those who
defend our freedom go forward bravely and return home safely. Go
Beyond with Ball.® For more information, visit
www.ball.com/aerospace or connect with us on Facebook or
Twitter.
About Ball Corporation
Ball Corporation (NYSE:
BLL) supplies innovative, sustainable aluminum packaging
solutions for beverage, personal care and household products
customers, as well as aerospace and other technologies and services
primarily for the U.S. government. Ball Corporation and its
subsidiaries employ 21,500 people worldwide and reported 2020 net
sales of $11.8 billion. For more
information, visit www.ball.com, or connect with us on Facebook or
Twitter.
Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains "forward-looking" statements concerning
future events and financial performance. Words such as "expects,"
"anticipates," "estimates," "believes," and similar expressions
typically identify forward-looking statements, which are generally
any statements other than statements of historical fact. Such
statements are based on current expectations or views of the future
and are subject to risks and uncertainties, which could cause
actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed
or implied. You should therefore not place undue reliance upon any
forward-looking statements and any such statements should be read
in conjunction with, and qualified in their entirety by, the
cautionary statements referenced below. 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 factors, risks and uncertainties that could cause
actual outcomes and results to be different are summarized in
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including
Exhibit 99 in our Form 10-K, which are available on our website and
at www.sec.gov. Additional factors that might affect: a) our
packaging segments include product capacity, supply, and demand
constraints and fluctuations and changes in consumption patterns;
availability/cost of raw materials, equipment, and logistics;
competitive packaging, pricing and substitution; changes in climate
and weather; footprint adjustments and other manufacturing changes,
including the startup of new facilities and lines; failure to
achieve synergies, productivity improvements or cost reductions;
unfavorable mandatory deposit or packaging laws; customer and
supplier consolidation; power and supply chain interruptions;
changes in major customer or supplier contracts or loss of a major
customer or supplier; political instability and sanctions; currency
controls; changes in foreign exchange or tax rates; and tariffs,
trade actions, or other governmental actions, including business
restrictions and shelter-in-place orders in any country or
jurisdiction affecting goods produced by us or in our supply chain,
including imported raw materials; b) our aerospace segment include
funding, authorization, availability and returns of government and
commercial contracts; and delays, extensions and technical
uncertainties affecting segment contracts; c) the Company as a
whole include those listed above plus: the extent to which
sustainability-related opportunities arise and can be capitalized
upon; changes in senior management, succession, and the ability to
attract and retain skilled labor; regulatory actions or issues
including those related to tax, ESG reporting, competition,
environmental, health and workplace safety, including U.S. FDA and
other actions or public concerns affecting products filled in our
containers, or chemicals or substances used in raw materials or in
the manufacturing process; technological developments and
innovations; the ability to manage cyber threats; litigation;
strikes; disease; pandemic; labor cost changes; rates of return on
assets of the Company's defined benefit retirement plans; pension
changes; uncertainties surrounding geopolitical events and
governmental policies both in the U.S. and in other countries,
including policies, orders, and actions related to COVID-19;
reduced cash flow; interest rates affecting our debt; and
successful or unsuccessful joint ventures, acquisitions and
divestitures, and their effects on our operating results and
business generally.
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ball-aerospaces-land-imaging-instrument-on-nasas-landsat-9-satellite-launches-successfully-301386048.html
SOURCE Ball Aerospace