Ball Aerospace to build radiometer for NASA

BOULDER — Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp. has been selected by NASA’s Science Mission Directorate to build and test a complete radiometric instrument on a Cubesat, a class of miniature satellite, for a space mission under the In-Space Validation of Earth Science Technologies (InVEST) program, the Boulder-based company announced this week.

Work will begin on the Compact Infrared Radiometer in Space (CIRiS) in February, with launch anticipated early in 2018, followed by three months of operations in orbit.

The radiometer developed by Ball Aerospace, a division of Broomfield-based Ball Corp. (NYSE: BLL), is one of four projects to receive funding from the latest round of the InVEST program in support of NASA’s Earth Science Division. Instruments such as CIRiS aboard relatively inexpensive Cubesats could help return significant scientific research and land-use management data for NASA.

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“Validating advanced technologies on micro-spacecraft for our customers is an innovative way to introduce new architectures and complete important science goals,” said Jim Oschmann, vice president and general manager for Ball’s Civil Space business unit.

David Osterman, principal investigator for Ball’s CIRiS unit, said potential future applications of Cubesats with the CIRiS design include studies of the hydrological cycle, urban climate and extreme storms; measurements to improve climate modeling; and support to land-use management through vegetation monitoring and water-absorption mapping.

Ball Aerospace supports missions for national agencies such as the Department of Defense, NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 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.