Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. will build the next generation commercial remote-sensing satellite for DigitalGlobe, provider of the world’s highest resolution commercial satellite imagery and geospatial information products.
Ball Aerospace previously built the trio of DigitalGlobe satellites currently on orbit including QuickBird launched in 2001, WorldView-1 launched in 2007, and WorldView-2 launched in 2009. WorldView-3, anticipated to launch in 2014, will expand DigitalGlobe’s orbiting constellation to four remote-sensing satellites.
“Our long partnership with DigitalGlobe is built on a strong record of performance and mission success in meeting the increased demand for Earth imaging collection,” said Ball Aerospace President and CEO, David L. Taylor. “Our proven BCP 5000 spacecraft bus has consistently delivered reliability, capability and state-of-the-art technology to fulfill those needs.”
Ball Aerospace will provide the BCP 5000 for WorldView-3, integrate the remote-sensing instrument onto the spacecraft bus, and perform all system testing. The BCP 5000’s power, stability, agility, and data storage and transmission capability, together meet the requirements to deliver comprehensive Earth remote-sensing information. The advanced Control Moment Gyroscopes provided for all the WorldView satellites afford the flexibility and agility to capture more imagery than ever before. Technological innovations allow Ball Aerospace to apply select capabilities of classified spacecraft systems to its commercial imagery projects like WorldView-3, resulting in cost savings, risk reduction, and faster delivery for its customers.
ITT Corporation will build the imaging system for the WorldView-3 satellite.
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 metal and plastic 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 14,000 people worldwide and reported 2009 sales of more than $7.3 billion.
