Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. has been awarded one of three risk-reduction study contracts from Goddard Space Flight Center for the Global Precipitation Measurement -- Microwave Imager (GMI). GMI is an international effort managed by NASA to improve climate, weather, and hydrological predictions through more accurate and frequent precipitation measurements.

"GMI represents a great opportunity for Ball Aerospace to enhance our microwave sensor capability," said Gary Salisbury, manager of Microwave Sensor Activities for Civil Space Systems.

GMI will be used to make calibrated, radiometric measurements from space at multiple microwave frequencies and polarizations. GMI will be placed on the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core spacecraft together with the Dual- frequency Precipitation Radar provided by the National Space Development Agency of Japan. The Core spacecraft will make radiometric and radar measurements of clouds and precipitation and will be the central element of GPM's space segment.

A second GMI will be placed on the NASA-provided GPM Constellation spacecraft in order to provide more frequent sampling of precipitation events. The measurements made by the Core and NASA-provided Constellation spacecraft will be supplemented with measurements from other microwave radiometers located on satellites launched and operated by other U.S. agencies and GPM international partners.

Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. provides remote sensing systems and solutions to the aerospace and defense markets. It is a subsidiary of Ball Corporation which in addition to owning Ball Aerospace is one of the leading suppliers of metal and plastic packaging to the beverage and food industries. With the addition of Ball Packaging Europe, acquired in December 2002, Ball expects sales in 2003 of approximately $5.1 billion, $4.6 billion from its packaging segment and $500 million from its aerospace and technologies segment.

Forward-Looking Statements: Forward-Looking Statements:

The information in this news release contains "forward-looking" statements. Actual results or outcomes may differ materially from those expressed or implied. As time passes, the relevance and accuracy of forward-looking statements contained in this release may change. The Company currently does not intend to update any particular forward-looking statement except, as it deems necessary at quarterly or annual release of earnings. Please refer to the Form 10-K filed by Ball Corporation on March 27, 2003, for a summary of key risk factors that could affect actual results or outcomes. Factors that might affect the Packaging segments or business of the Company are: fluctuation in consumer and customer demand; competitive packaging material availability, pricing and substitution; the weather; fruit, vegetable and fishing yields; company and industry productive capacity and competitive activity; lack of productivity improvement or production cost reductions; regulatory action or laws, the German mandatory deposit or other restrictive packaging legislation, such as recycling laws; availability and cost of raw materials, energy and transportation; the ability or inability to pass on to customers changes in these costs, particularly resin, steel and aluminum; pricing and ability or inability to sell scrap; and international business risks (including foreign exchange rates) particularly in the United States, Europe and in developing countries such as China and Brazil. Factors that may affect the Aerospace segment or business are: funding, authorization and availability of government contracts and the nature and continuation of those contracts; and technical uncertainty associated with Aerospace segment contracts. Factors that could affect the Company as a whole include those listed plus: successful and unsuccessful acquisitions, joint ventures or divestitures and the integration activities associated therewith including the integration and operation of the business of Schmalbach-Lubeca AG, now known as Ball Packaging Europe; the inability to purchase the Company's common stock; regulatory action or laws including those related to corporate governance and financial reporting, regulations and standards, business consolidation investment costs and the net realizable value of assets associated with the Company's activities; goodwill impairment; changes in generally accepted accounting principles or their interpretation; litigation; antitrust, intellectual property, consumer and other issues; strikes; boycotts; increases in various employee benefits and labor costs, specifically pension, medical and health care costs incurred in the countries in which Ball has operations; rates of return projected and earned on assets of the company's defined benefit retirement plans; interest rates and level of company debt; terrorist activities, war or catastrophic events; and U.S. and foreign economic conditions.

SOURCE: Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.