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SpatialNews Press Release
Ball Aerospace Delivering QuickBird 1
Remote-Sensing Satellite to EarthWatch
BOULDER, Colo., Oct. 20, 2000--Two Colorado companies working together
are advancing the remote-sensing market for commercial customers.
By the end of October, Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. of Boulder, Colo., is scheduled to
deliver its first of two QuickBird remote-sensing satellites to EarthWatch Incorporated of Longmont,
Colo. QuickBird 1 is capable of taking one-meter panchromatic (black and white) and four-meter
multispectral (color) digital images of Earth's surface.
Earth remote sensing involves detecting and recording objects or phenomena from a distance by using
devices that take measurements of the electromagnetic spectrum to characterize the landscape. In the
case of QuickBird 1, the satellite will circle the globe 600 km (about 372 miles) above Earth while the
QuickBird sensor (a high-resolution camera) gathers images of the Earth's surface during daylight hours.
Satellite remote sensing can provide enormous amounts of data that covers large areas in a
cost-effective manner, typically less expensive than comparable aerial photographic images. Additionally,
satellite imagery is in a digital format for immediate transfer to computer database systems.
The Ball Aerospace-built QuickBird 1 uses the Ball Global Imaging System 2000 satellite design. This
system comprises the Ball Commercial Platform 2000 (BCP 2000) spacecraft bus and a Ball High
Resolution Camera (BHRC 60). The BCP 2000 buses are part of Ball Aerospace's product assembly
line that includes three additional units: the Quick Scatterometer (QuikSCAT) built for NASA's Goddard
Space Flight Center and Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is gaining praise for tracking weather
disturbances that aid hurricane forecasters; Goddard's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat);
and QuickBird 2.
"QuickBird 1 represents a tremendous achievement for both Ball Aerospace and EarthWatch," said
David L. Taylor, vice president of Ball's Commercial Space Operations. "As a team, Ball Aerospace
and EarthWatch have worked hard to meet customers' growing needs for world-class images and
services. The potential for the commercial remote-sensing market is huge, and we aim to develop and
maintain a very strong foothold in this developing business. These two QuickBirds are Ball Aerospace's
first commercial spacecraft built for a non-government customer from our family of commercial
products."
The QuickBird 1 satellite will collect data while in a 66-degree orbit, which allows variable imaging at
any time during the day. QuickBird 2 will be launched into a sun-synchronous orbit, providing same time
of day passes and consistent revisit scheduling for easy monitoring of long-term trends. Once in
operation, the two QuickBirds will provide a constellation with imaging coverage and flexibility unequaled
in the remote-sensing industry. In addition to the spacecraft bus and high-resolution camera, Ball
Aerospace will provide launch support and on-orbit commissioning support for the two QuickBirds.
Demand for high-resolution satellite imagery near term is estimated to be more than $1 billion
annually. QuickBird 1 images have multiple market applications for commercial businesses and
government agencies, including environmental monitoring, land use and public works, mapping and
cartography, resource management, agriculture and forestry, and military target identification.
QuickBird 1 is slated for launch on a Russian Cosmos rocket from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in
Russia.
Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. provides imaging and communications products for commercial
and government customers worldwide and is a subsidiary of Ball Corporation (NYSE:BLL), a Fortune
500 company which had sales of $3.6 billion in 1999.
Forward-Looking Statements
Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. (BATC) is a subsidiary of Ball Corporation. Certain
forward-looking statements have been made or implied in this news release. These forward-looking
statements represent the company's goals and are based on certain assumptions and estimates that
involve a number of risks or uncertainties. Some factors that could cause the company's actual results or
outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements include risk factors
listed in Ball Corporation's Form 10-Q filed on May 17, 2000. If the company's assumptions and
estimates are incorrect, or if it is unable to achieve its goals, then the company's actual performance
could vary materially from those goals expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements.
CONTACT:
Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder
Barbara Darling, 303/939-6010
bldarling@ball.com
http://www.ballaerospace.com
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