Ball Aerospace Wins NASA Industry Concept Study for WFIRST Observatory

March 10, 2016

BOULDER, Colo., March 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. has been selected by NASA to deliver a concept study for the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) Wide Field Instrument (WFI), the agency's next major astrophysics project to follow the 2018 launch of the James Webb Space Telescope.

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NASA's initial concept study for WFIRST will evolve the Wide Field Instrument design for optimal manufacturing, modularity, testing and schedule efficiency.

The Ball Aerospace concept study for WFIRST will draw on the company's recent successful experience with several similar precision optical efforts, including Ball's optical system for James Webb, the Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3, and the Operational Land Imager aboard the Landsat 8 mission.

"Ball is very proud of partnering with NASA to deliver many optical instruments over the last several decades, so we are very excited about also participating in WFIRST," said Jim Oschmann, vice president and general manager for Ball's Civil Space business unit.  "Ball brings extensive experience to the project with relevant astrophysics missions from conception through on-orbit operations."

WFIRST was the top-rated large-scale mission in the 2010 decadal survey for astrophysics. Using a single 2.4-meter-diameter mirror, the infrared telescope will feature a field of view 100 times larger than that of Hubble to help researchers unravel the secrets of dark energy and dark matter, and explore the evolution of the cosmos. WFIRST will also discover new worlds outside our solar system by identifying thousands of new exoplanets to complement the work started by the Kepler mission, for which Ball Aerospace was NASA's mission prime contractor, supplying the photometer, spacecraft, system integration, testing and on-orbit operations.

WFIRST is managed by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, with participation by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California; the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland; the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, also in Pasadena; and a science team comprised of members from U.S. research institutions across the country. WFIRST is slated to launch in the mid-2020s. http://wfirst.gsfc.nasa.gov/  

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. Ball continues to invest and innovate in affordable, high resolution imaging systems, contributing to the needs of civil, military and commercial customers.  For more information, visit http://www.ballaerospace.com/.

Ball Corporation (NYSE:BLL) supplies innovative, sustainable packaging solutions for beverage, food 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 15,000 people worldwide and reported 2015 sales of $8.0 billion. For more information, visit www.ball.com, or connect with us on Facebook or Twitter.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains "forward-looking" statements concerning future events and financial performance. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "estimates" and similar expressions 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 in our Form 10-K, which are available on our website and at www.sec.gov. Factors that might affect: a) our packaging segments include product demand fluctuations; availability/cost of raw materials; competitive packaging, pricing and substitution; changes in climate and weather; crop yields; competitive activity; failure to achieve productivity improvements or cost  reductions; mandatory deposit or other restrictive packaging laws; customer and supplier consolidation, power and supply chain influence; changes in major customer or supplier contracts or loss of a major customer or supplier; political instability and sanctions; and changes in foreign exchange or tax rates; 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: changes in senior management; 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; litigation; strikes; labor cost changes; rates of return on assets of the company's defined benefit retirement plans; pension changes; uncertainties surrounding the U.S. government budget, sequestration and debt limit; reduced cash flow; ability to achieve cost-out initiatives; interest rates affecting our debt; and successful or unsuccessful acquisitions and divestitures, including, with respect to the proposed Rexam PLC acquisition, the effect of the announcement of the acquisition on our business relationships, operating results and business generally; the occurrence of any event or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of our definitive agreement with Rexam PLC in respect of the acquisition; the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against us related to the definitive agreement with Rexam PLC; and the failure to satisfy conditions to completion of the acquisition of Rexam PLC, including the receipt of all regulatory approvals.

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SOURCE Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.