Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. has completed risk reduction testing of the Protoflight Model (PFM) Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) that will fly aboard the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) Preparatory Project (NPP).
NPP is a joint effort between the NPOESS Integrated Program Office and NASA. Ball Aerospace is part of the NPOESS team led by prime contractor Northrop Grumman Corp. (NYSE: NOC – News).
Risk reduction testing of the OMPS Integrated Sensor Suite marks a major milestone in validating the OMPS design which consists of a hyperspectral UV, visible and near IR limb sensor, a wide-field hyperspectral UV nadir sensor, and a dual-redundant main electronics box. OMPS PFM delivery to NPP is scheduled for August 2008. The successful testing also enables progress on the current build of the OMPS Flight Model 2 for the first NPOESS spacecraft.
“The ozone monitoring sensors developed by Ball Aerospace including SBUV/2, SAGE III and now OMPS, demonstrate our commitment to advanced atmospheric science research,” said Cary Ludtke, vice president and general manager for Ball’s civil and operational space business unit. OMPS is one of four sensors that will fly as part of the NPP risk reduction mission and one of nine sensors currently manifested for the operational NPOESS system. NPOESS is the nation’s next generation low-Earth orbiting operational environmental system for civilian and military applications.
OMPS will measure how much ozone is in our atmosphere and how the ozone concentration varies with altitude. OMPS data will also be used to determine if synthetic chemicals are affecting the Earth’s climate and its habitability. NPOESS will measure, on a global basis, atmospheric, land, and ocean environmental conditions. The system will provide weather and environmental data to weather forecasters, military commanders, civilian leaders, and the scientific community.
Ball Aerospace is also building the NPP spacecraft, a modified Ball Commercial Platform (BCP) 2000 under a contract to the Goddard Rapid Spacecraft Development Office.
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 than 50 years, Ball Aerospace has been responsible for numerous technological and scientific ‘firsts’ and acts as a technology innovator for the aerospace market.
Ball Corporation (NYSE: BLL) is a supplier of high-quality metal and plastic packaging products 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 15,500 people worldwide and reported 2007 sales of $7.4 billion.
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 at our Web site and at http://www.sec.gov. Factors that might affect our packaging segments include fluctuation in product 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; crop yields; competitive activity; failure to achieve anticipated productivity improvements or production cost reductions, including our beverage can end project; mandatory deposit or other restrictive packaging laws; changes in major customer or supplier contracts or loss of a major customer or supplier; and changes in foreign exchange rates, tax rates and activities of foreign subsidiaries. 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; successful or unsuccessful acquisitions, joint ventures or divestitures; integration of recently acquired businesses; 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; pension changes; reduced cash flow; interest rates affecting our debt; and changes to unaudited results due to statutory audits or other effects.
