BOULDER, Colo., Feb. 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Ball Aerospace
successfully completed the preliminary design review (PDR) of the
advanced spectrometer instrument for the MethaneSAT Flight System,
a 350-kilogram satellite that will locate and measure methane
emissions around the globe. With the completion of PDR, Ball will
proceed with the critical design phase.
"We are excited to be a part of a mission that aims to study and
address the impact of methane on the environment and climate," said
Dr. Makenzie Lystrup, vice president
and general manager, Civil Space, Ball Aerospace. "MethaneSAT fits
well with Ball's long history of earth science, our commitment to
sustainability and our experience in providing highly-calibrated
measurements of environmental factors related to ozone, weather and
pollution."
MethaneSAT is expected to be launched in 2022 by MethaneSAT LLC,
a subsidiary of Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). The non-profit is
dedicated to creating innovative science-based solutions to
critical environment challenges, including anthropogenic methane
emissions, a significant contributor to global climate change.
Two extremely sensitive spectrometers sit at the heart of the
Ball-designed instrument that will measure a narrow part of the
shortwave infrared spectrum where methane absorbs light, allowing
it to detect concentrations as low as two parts per billion. In
addition to the MethaneSAT instrument, Ball Aerospace is providing
flight systems integration and testing, launch support, and
commissioning services.
"MethaneSAT is built around a set of high performance
technologies and sophisticated analytics tools that when combined
provide a major leap in our ability to measure and quantify even
low-level methane emissions across the globe from space," said
mission co-lead Dr. Steven Hamburg,
who also serves as Chief Scientist for Environmental Defense Fund.
"We're asking a lot of our technical partners and Ball Aerospace is
rising to the occasion."
Ball Aerospace has more than six decades of experience providing
leading-edge systems, delivering instruments that span the
electromagnetic spectrum for a wide range of government and
commercial applications to help predict the weather, map air
quality and monitor the Earth's environment. For example, Ball
built LIDAR and wide-field camera instruments for NASA's
Cloud-Aerosol LIDAR and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations
(CALIPSO) mission; the Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of
Pollutions (TEMPO) instrument to measure air quality for a NASA
mission; and the Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) of
hyperspectral instruments that measure the global distribution and
vertical structure of ozone for NASA and NOAA missions. OMPS-1 and
OMPS-2 are currently flying on Suomi NPP and the Ball-built Joint
Polar Satellite System-1 (JPSS-1, now NOAA-20), respectively. Ball
is also building OMPS instruments for follow-on JPSS
satellites.
Powered by endlessly curious people with an unwavering mission
focus, 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. Go
Beyond with Ball.® 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
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.
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SOURCE Ball Aerospace