BOULDER, Colo., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Just six months
after preliminary design review, Ball Aerospace successfully
completed critical design review (CDR) of the MethaneSAT flight
system and advanced spectrometer instrument that will be integrated
onto a 350-kilogram satellite for MethaneSAT, LLC, a subsidiary of
the non-profit Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). The completion of
CDR enables Ball to proceed into part fabrication and assembly.
"MethaneSAT aligns with Ball's commitment to earth science,
sustainability and delivering science at any scale," said Dr.
Makenzie Lystrup, vice president and
general manager, Civil Space, Ball Aerospace. "We have worked
closely and collaboratively with the customer and other partners to
develop extremely sensitive sensor technology critical to spotting
methane emissions that previously would have gone undetected."
The Ball-designed MethaneSAT Instrument will measure a narrow
part of the shortwave infrared spectrum where methane absorbs
light, allowing it to detect concentrations as low as two parts per
billion. From Low-Earth Orbit, the satellite will locate and
measure emissions of methane sources almost anywhere on Earth with
precision and at fine enough detail to identify these sources. The
mission is expected to launch in 2022 to support EDF's stated goal
of achieving a 45 percent reduction in methane emissions from the
oil and gas sector by 2025.
"This is a complex, technically challenging mission driven by
the profound urgency of climate change. An intensive design process
up front ensures that we can move quickly from here. The result is
a more powerful measurement tool than even we thought possible,"
said Cassandra Ely, Director at
MethaneSAT LLC. "Thanks to the dedicated efforts of our mission
partners, MethaneSAT is now moving from the drawing boards and onto
the assembly floor."
Ball has more than six decades of experience providing
leading-edge systems, delivering instruments that span the
electromagnetic spectrum for a wide range of government and
commercial applications to help predict the weather, map air
quality and monitor the Earth's environment. For example, Ball
built LIDAR and wide-field camera instruments for NASA's
Cloud-Aerosol LIDAR and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations
(CALIPSO) mission; the Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of
Pollutions (TEMPO) instrument to measure air quality for a NASA
mission; and the Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) of
hyperspectral instruments that measure the global distribution and
vertical structure of ozone for NASA and NOAA 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 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 more
than 18,300 people worldwide and reported 2019 net sales of
$11.5 billion. For more information,
visit www.ball.com, or connect with us on Facebook or Twitter.
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at www.sec.gov. Additional factors that might affect: a) our
packaging segments include product capacity, supply, and demand
constraints and fluctuations; availability/cost of raw materials
and logistics; competitive packaging, pricing and substitution;
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laws; customer and supplier consolidation; power and supply chain
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including business restrictions and shelter-in-place orders in any
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and those pursuant to Section 232 of the U.S. Trade Expansion Act
of 1962 or Section 301 of Trade Act of 1974; b) our aerospace
segment include funding, authorization, availability and returns of
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as a whole include those listed plus: the extent to which
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changes; uncertainties surrounding geopolitical events and
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SOURCE Ball Aerospace