Ready for Launch, Ball Aerospace Completes Prep for JPSS-1 Satellite

BOULDER, Colo., Nov. 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- NOAA's Joint Polar Satellite System-1 (JPSS-1) is encapsulated inside the fairing (nose cone) of a United Launch Alliance Delta II launch vehicle ready for lift off from Space Launch Complex-2W at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, on November 14, 2017 at 1:47 a.m., PST. JPSS-1 is a collaborative effort between NOAA and NASA.

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"The JPSS-1 bus is based on our Ball Configurable Platform 2000, a proven, agile spacecraft, which has 50 years of on-orbit operations and is designed for cost-effective, remote sensing applications," said Alex Chernushin, JPSS-1 Program Manager, Ball Aerospace. "JPSS-1 is the twelfth spacecraft built on this core architecture, including the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) spacecraft launched in 2011."

The sensor capabilities for JPSS-1 have similar capabilities to those of Suomi NPP: the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) and the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES), built by Northrop Grumman; the Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS), built by Harris; the Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite-Nadir (OMPS-N), built by Ball; and the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), built by Raytheon.

Collecting data on our Earth's atmosphere, oceans and land surface, JPSS-1, or NOAA-20 as it will be known once it reaches its polar orbit, will feed NOAA's National Weather Service models, giving forecasters the actionable environment intelligence they need to monitor and predict weather patterns with greater speed and accuracy. This will enable emergency managers to make timely decisions to protect lives and property, including ordering effective evacuations five to seven days in advance.

In addition, the data from JPSS-1 gives troops a competitive advantage on the battlefield; allows transportation industry to prepare and move resources, protecting local economies; and provides citizens with more accurate weather forecasts to plan their day.

The JPSS-1 spacecraft was built and integrated by Ball Aerospace in Boulder, Colorado, where the business has operated for more than 60 years and continues to invest heavily in its capabilities and the community. Since expanding its Fisher Manufacturing Complex by 82,000 square-feet in 2014, Ball is installing a new, 1,200 square-foot thermal vacuum chamber to support the continued demand for large spacecraft. Ball is also growing in nearby Westminster, Colorado with a 145,000 square-foot addition to its Aerospace Manufacturing Center currently under construction. Ball employs more than 3,000 people across the U.S., with 2,500 based in Colorado. The business has hired more than 600 new employees during the past two years to meet growing customer needs.

Visit ball.com/aerospace for more information and interactive downloads. Follow Ball Aerospace on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to tune into the latest JPSS-1 news leading up to launch! 

Ball Aerospace (NYSE: BLL) 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.

Ball Corporation 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 18,450 people worldwide and 2016 net sales were $9.1 billion. For more information, visit www.ball.com, or connect with us on Facebook or Twitter.

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SOURCE Ball Aerospace