Ball Aerospace & Technologies has delivered four phased array antennas for the Orion spacecraft to NASA“™s Kennedy Space Center and prime contractor Lockheed Martin, as preparations are underway ahead of Orion’s inaugural flight in September. The antennas are intended to help comprise of Orion’s voice, video and data communications systems and be installed on Orion’s exterior, […] More

Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. has delivered a precipitation measurement instrument to Japan in preparation for NASA“™s Global Precipitation Measurement satellite space launch scheduled for next year. The GPM Microwave Imager is a microwave radiometer built to capture data on worldwide weather phenomena at three-hour intervals after the launch of GPM Core Observatory in early 2014, Ball […] More

Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. has awarded a subcontract to Quest Thermal Group LLC to develop thermal insulation technology for maintaining temperatures of spacecraft and subsystems during NASA human spaceflight missions. NASA intends to use Quest Thermal’s integrated multi-layer insulation for the Green Propellant Infusion Mission and Ball Aerospace will test the technology, Ball Aerospace announced Tuesday. The Quest Thermal-built […] More

Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp. plans to reactivate its survey aircraft in September for NASA“™s near-Earth object exploration mission. The refreshed Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer spacecraft will work to detect and identify near-Earth objects such as asteroids, Ball Aerospace said Wednesday. Jim Oschmann, vice president and general manager for Ball“™s Civil Space and Technology business […] More

Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp. and Aerojet Rocketdyne have collaborated to test launch a thruster for NASA“™s Green Propellant Infusion Mission with the goal of further developing an eco-friendly fuel. Ball Aerospace works with a team of government and industry experts intending to fly the 22 Newton Thruster aboard a Ball Configurable Platform spacecraft using […] More

NASA has selected Ball Aerospace to produce an optical technology for a new space observatory designed to help scientists conduct research into dark energy, exoplanets and infrared astrophysics. The company said Wednesday it will build the Optical Mechanical Assembly for the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope and support WFI integration and test efforts. Jim Oschmann, vice president and general manager […] More

Ball Aerospace & Technologies has completed a six-month study on the wide field instrument for a NASA observatory that seeks to support the agency’s astrophysics research mission. The company said Monday it examined WFI technology and scientific requirements for NASA’s Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope currently under development as a follow-on project to the James Webb Space Telescope. WFIRST is designed to capture images […] More

Ball Aerospace & Technologies will manufacture the Compact Infrared Radiometer in Space instrument for a CubeSat that will perform scientific research and support land use management for NASA‘s Earth science division. The company said Wednesday it received funding under the In-Space Validation of Earth Science Technologies program to build the CIRiS imaging radiometer for tests during on-orbit operations. “Validating advanced technologies […] More

Ball Aerospace & Technologies and Arizona State University have teamed up to develop a thermal imaging tool that seeks to aid NASA in its mission to study whether a Jupiter moon is capable to support life. The company said Thursday the thermal emission imaging technology, dubbed E-Themis, is one of the nine instruments to board a […] More

Aerojet Rocketdyne and Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., announced recently that they have completed a study on the development of a common upper stage service for NASA, designed for enhanced performance of NASA Launch Services and paving the way for additional missions. The new common upper stage has the potential to be integrated onto several spacecraft–including […] More

  Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. has delivered two phased array antenna engineering development units for the Orion multi-purpose crew vehicle to prime contractor Lockheed Martin. The Orion PAA design leverages three dozen Ball Aerospace phased array designs delivered for space, airborne, ground and marine applications, as well as an additional 11 fixed beam array products […] More