Ball Aerospace Completes Critical Design Review of Methane Monitoring Satellite's Flight System and Instrument

Program can proceed with focal plane selection and hardware assembly

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Sep 09, 2020, 11:32 ET

BOULDER, Colo., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Just six months after preliminary design review, Ball Aerospace successfully completed critical design review (CDR) of the MethaneSAT flight system and advanced spectrometer instrument that will be integrated onto a 350-kilogram satellite for MethaneSAT, LLC, a subsidiary of the non-profit Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). The completion of CDR enables Ball to proceed into part fabrication and assembly.

An artist rendering of the MethaneSAT satellite.

"MethaneSAT aligns with Ball's commitment to earth science, sustainability and delivering science at any scale," said Dr. Makenzie Lystrup, vice president and general manager, Civil Space, Ball Aerospace. "We have worked closely and collaboratively with the customer and other partners to develop extremely sensitive sensor technology critical to spotting methane emissions that previously would have gone undetected."

The Ball-designed MethaneSAT Instrument 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. From Low-Earth Orbit, the satellite will locate and measure emissions of methane sources almost anywhere on Earth with precision and at fine enough detail to identify these sources. The mission is expected to launch in 2022 to support EDF's stated goal of achieving a 45 percent reduction in methane emissions from the oil and gas sector by 2025.

"This is a complex, technically challenging mission driven by the profound urgency of climate change. An intensive design process up front ensures that we can move quickly from here. The result is a more powerful measurement tool than even we thought possible," said Cassandra Ely, Director at MethaneSAT LLC. "Thanks to the dedicated efforts of our mission partners, MethaneSAT is now moving from the drawing boards and onto the assembly floor."

Ball 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.

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 more than 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