BOULDER, Colo., April 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Ball
Aerospace conducted a critical design review (CDR) of the Weather
System Follow-on (WSF) satellite mission, which it is building for
the U.S. Space Force Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC). With
CDR concluded, Ball Aerospace begins full production of the
satellite.
Upon delivery, this next-generation operational environmental
satellite system will provide critical and actionable environmental
intelligence to military operations in all warfighting domains.
"Measuring and understanding the physical environment is
critical to military operations, from determining tropical cyclone
intensity for asset protection and maneuver operations to how wind
and sea state play into assured access and aircraft carrier
operations," said Mark Healy, vice
president and general manager, National Defense, Ball Aerospace.
"Ball is proud to be a mission partner with the Space Force,
working closely and collaboratively to ensure the success of this
program, which extends Ball's legacy of providing precise
measurements from space to enable more accurate atmospheric and
ocean forecasting."
WSF is designed specifically to mitigate three high-priority
Department of Defense Space-Based Environmental Monitoring (SBEM)
gaps: ocean surface vector winds, tropical cyclone intensity and
the space weather gap, low Earth orbit (LEO) energetic charged
particles. It will also address three additional SBEM gaps: sea ice
characterization, soil moisture and snow depth. As the prime
contractor for WSF, Ball is responsible for delivering the entire
mission, including instrument, spacecraft and system software, as
well as the algorithms for data products, to SMC.
Ball has played key roles on numerous operational weather
satellite programs, including the Ball-built Suomi National
Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) satellite, which launched in
2011, and the Joint Polar Satellite System-1 (JPSS-1) satellite,
now NOAA-20, which launched in 2017.
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.
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.
Forward-Looking Statements
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"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 capacity, supply, and demand
constraints and fluctuations; availability/cost of raw materials
and logistics; competitive packaging, pricing and substitution;
changes in climate and weather; footprint adjustments and other
manufacturing changes, including the start up of new facilities and
lines; failure to achieve synergies, productivity improvements or
cost reductions; mandatory deposit or other restrictive packaging
laws; customer and supplier consolidation; power and supply chain
interruptions, including due to virus and disease outbreaks;
potential delays and tariffs related to the U.K's departure from
the EU; 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,
including business restrictions and shelter-in-place orders in any
country affecting goods produced by us or in our supply chain,
including imported raw materials, such as those related to COVID-19
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
government and commercial contracts; and delays, extensions and
technical uncertainties affecting segment contracts; c) the company
as a whole include those listed 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 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; the ability to manage cyber threats
and the success of information technology initiatives; 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, 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, and their effects on our operating results and
business generally.
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SOURCE Ball Aerospace