BOULDER, Colo., May 20, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ball
Aerospace-built small spacecraft for NASA's Green Propellant
Infusion Mission (GPIM) arrived in Florida today to prepare for a June launch on
board a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. GPIM is NASA's first
opportunity to demonstrate a new "green" propellant and propulsion
system in orbit – an alternative to conventional chemical
propulsion systems.
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A sustainable and efficient approach to spaceflight, GPIM will
demonstrate the practical capabilities of a Hydroxyl Ammonium
Nitrate fuel and oxidizer blend, called AF-M315E. This innovative,
low toxicity, "green" propellant was developed by the Air Force
Research Laboratory. GPIM is part of NASA's Technology
Demonstration Missions program within the Space Technology Mission
Directorate.
"GPIM was a truly collaborative effort, working with our
partners - NASA, Aerojet Rocketdyne, Air Force Research Laboratory,
U.S. Air Force and SpaceX," said Dr. Makenzie Lystrup, vice president and general
manager, Civil Space, Ball Aerospace. "We are proud to be part of
this historic mission to test a new 'green' propellant on board
Ball's flight-proven small satellite, helping to provide science at
any scale."
Ball Aerospace is responsible for system engineering; flight
thruster performance verification; ground and flight data review;
spacecraft bus; assembly, integration and test; and launch and
flight support. The GPIM bus uses the smallest of the Ball
Configurable Platform (BCP) satellites, which is about the size of
a mini refrigerator, and was built in just 46 days. The BCP
provides standard payload interfaces and streamlined procedures,
allowing rapid and affordable access to space with flight-proven
performance.
"We have shown that Ball can provide small, fast and affordable
solutions with excellent performance and now we're excited to do
that for NASA," Lystrup said.
There are currently two BCP small satellites performing on
orbit: STPSat-2, which launched in Nov.
2010, and STPSat-3, which launched in Nov. 2013. The two STP satellites were built for
the U.S. Air Force Space Test Program's Standard Interface Vehicle
(STP-SIV) project. Ball also has two BCP small satellites in
development for NASA's Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE)
and Spectro Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of
Reionization and Ices Explorer (SPHEREx) missions.
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
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 17,500 people worldwide and reported 2018
net sales of $11.6 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," "targets," "likely,"
"positions" 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 demand fluctuations; availability/cost of raw
materials and logistics; competitive packaging, pricing and
substitution; changes in climate and weather; footprint adjustments
and other manufacturing changes; failure to achieve synergies,
productivity improvements or cost reductions; mandatory deposit or
other restrictive packaging laws; customer and supplier
consolidation, power and supply chain influence; changes in major
customer or supplier contracts or a 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 in any country affecting
goods produced by us or in our supply chain, including imported raw
materials, such as pursuant to section 232 of the U.S. Trade
Expansion Act of 1962; 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 plus: changes in senior management;
regulatory action or issues including tax, 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;
litigation; strikes; 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 the
U.S. government elections, budget, sequestration and debt limit;
reduced cash flow; interest rates affecting our debt; and
successful or unsuccessful joint ventures, acquisitions and
divestitures, including with respect to the Rexam PLC acquisition
and its integration, or the associated divestiture; the effect of
the acquisition or the divestiture on our business relationships,
operating results and business generally.
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SOURCE Ball Aerospace