Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. has been awarded a NASA Goddard Space Flight Center contract to build the Operational Land Imager (OLI) for the eighth Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM).

"We take great pride in being chosen to help continue NASA's longest continuous imagery data record of our planet," said David L. Taylor, president and CEO of Ball Aerospace. "From Radarsat to QuikSCAT, and from QuickBird to its soon to be launched successor, WorldView, Ball Aerospace has a strong legacy in both Earth science and remote-sensing missions."

The OLI instrument provides 15-meter (490ft.) panchromatic and 30m multi-spectral Earth-imaging spatial-resolution capability. OLI includes a 185km swath allowing the entire globe to be imaged every 16 days. OLI instrument delivery is slated for Sept. 2010, with launch anticipated in 2011.

The Landsat Program is a series of Earth-observing satellite missions jointly managed by NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). For more than 30-years, Landsat satellites have continuously and consistently archived images of Earth, creating a historical archive unmatched in quality, detail, coverage, and length. The multispectral imagery is gathered for applications that include agricultural monitoring, natural resource management and land-use planning.

Ball Aerospace is also competing for the Landsat spacecraft bus. The Goddard Rapid Space Development Office Landsat Spacecraft Accommodation study currently underway will result in a Ball Aerospace design that will accommodate the mission-specific requirements of the follow-on Landsat mission.

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 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.