Ball Corp (BALL)

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Ball Aerospace Suomi NPP Satellite for NASA Completes Commissioning

Ball (NYSE:BLL)

Today : Tuesday 13 March 2012
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The Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. Suomi NPP satellite for NASA successfully completed its Satellite Acceptance Review with Goddard Space Flight Center on March 6, 2012. With completion of commissioning activities, operation of the Suomi NPP has now been turned over to a Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) team.

Ball Aerospace designed and built the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) satellite bus; the satellite's Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) instrument; integrated the satellite's five instruments; and performed satellite-level testing and launch support. All five Suomi NPP instruments have now been activated for science data collection.

"The Earth-observing NPP Suomi satellite has solidified its role as the trail blazer for the next generation of polar operational satellites," said David L. Taylor, Ball Aerospace president and CEO.

Launched in October 2011, the satellite's advanced-technology remote sensing suite of instruments will observe many facets of our changing Earth leading to the launch of the JPSS-1, the Joint Polar Satellite System, which is the first of NOAA's next generation polar orbiting weather satellites. Ball Aerospace is currently leading the design and development effort for NOAA's JPSS-1 satellite, and building the JPSS-1 OMPS instrument. Both fixed-price satellites are designed for cost-effective, remote sensing applications as part of the Ball Configurable Platform (BCP) series of satellites.

Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. supports critical missions for 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 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 14,500 people worldwide and reported 2011 sales of more than $8.6 billion. For the latest Ball news and for other company information, please visit http://www.ball.com.

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 on our website and at www.sec.gov. Factors that might affect our packaging segments include fluctuation in product demand and preferences; availability and cost of raw materials; 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; mandatory deposit or other restrictive packaging laws; changes in major customer or supplier contracts or loss of a major customer or supplier; political instability and sanctions; and changes in foreign exchange rates or tax rates. 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; the recent global recession and its effects on liquidity, credit risk, asset values and the economy; successful or unsuccessful acquisitions; regulatory action or laws including tax, environmental, health and workplace safety, including U.S. FDA and other actions affecting products filled in our containers, or chemicals or substances used in raw materials or in the manufacturing process; 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; uncertainties surrounding the U.S. government budget and debt limit; reduced cash flow; interest rates affecting our debt; and changes to unaudited results due to statutory audits or other effects.

SOURCE Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.