Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., a teammate on the Boeing led-Transformational Satellite Communications (TSAT) Space Segment program, today announced successful completion of the program's Space Segment Design Review (SSDR).

The review represented a significant milestone for the Boeing team, which was awarded a TSAT Risk Reduction and System Definition contract in January 2004. TSAT will provide the Department of Defense (DoD) with high data rate military satellite communications and Internet-like services as defined in the Transformational Communications Architecture (TCA). TSAT offers greatly improved connectivity, data transfer capability and situational awareness for the warfighter that will increase the precision and effectiveness of military operations far beyond present capacity. Furthermore, TSAT will enable high data rate connectivity for space and airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms.

Ball Aerospace is pursuing the space segment of TSAT, with Boeing as the prime contractor, by developing the Space Telescope Subsystem (STS). The STS sub-system includes a gimbaled telescope and sophisticated optical bench that relies on Ball's proven Pointing, Acquisition and Tracking (PAT) technology.

"The dynamic partnership forged by Ball Aerospace and Boeing for the past 30 years, starting in 1976 with the Airborne Flight Test System, has allowed us to develop solutions to bring free-space laser communication to an operational status," said Ball Aerospace President and CEO, David L. Taylor. "Ball's laser communications activities bridge all optical segments of the TCA."

Earlier this year, Boeing and its partners became the first team to successfully demonstrate the ability of its TSAT system to deliver operational data rates at high power operations during U.S. Air Force tests. The tests validated a total system performance to -- and interoperability with -- government laser communications standards by completing communications performance and pointing, acquisition and tracking tests for 2.5, 10 and 40 gigabits per second data rates. The demonstration also verified Ball's PAT technology to be consistent with the Lasercom Interoperability Standard, which fulfills another risk reduction objective for TSAT.

Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. supports critical missions of important national agencies such as the Department of Defense, NASA, NOAA 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. Over the past 50 years, Ball Aerospace has been responsible for numerous technological and scientific 'firsts' and acts as a technology innovator for the aerospace market.

Ball Corporation is a supplier of high-quality metal and plastic packaging products for beverage, food and household customers, and of aerospace and other technologies and services, primarily for the U.S. government. Ball Corporation and its subsidiaries employ more than 15,500 people worldwide and reported 2006 sales of $6.6 billion.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains "forward-looking" statements concerning future events and financial performance. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "estimates" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Key risks and uncertainties are summarized in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Exhibit 99.2 in our Form 10-K, which are available at our Web site and at http://www.sec.gov/. Factors that might affect our packaging segments include fluctuation in consumer and customer demand and preferences; availability and cost of raw materials, including recent significant increases in resin, steel, aluminum and energy costs, and the ability to pass such increases on to customers; competitive packaging availability, pricing and substitution; changes in climate and weather; crop yields; industry productive capacity and competitive activity; failure to achieve anticipated productivity improvements or production cost reductions, including those associated with our beverage can end project; the German mandatory deposit or other restrictive packaging laws; changes in major customer or supplier contracts or loss of a major customer or supplier; and changes in foreign exchange rates, tax rates and activities of foreign subsidiaries. Factors that might affect our aerospace segment include: funding, authorization, availability and returns of government and commercial contracts; and delays, extensions and technical uncertainties affecting segment contracts. Factors that might affect the company as a whole include those listed plus: accounting changes; successful or unsuccessful acquisitions, joint ventures or divestitures; integration of recently acquired businesses; regulatory action or laws including tax, environmental and workplace safety; governmental investigations; technological developments and innovations; goodwill impairment; antitrust, patent and other litigation; strikes; labor cost changes; rates of return projected and earned on assets of the company's defined benefit retirement plans; pension changes; reduced cash flow; interest rates affecting our debt; and changes to unaudited results due to statutory audits or other effects.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact: rbrown@ball.com

SOURCE: Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.