Ball Aerospace & Technologies
| File:Batc frame hor.png | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Spacecraft, defense, scientific instruments |
| Founded | 1956 |
| Defunct | Template:End date and age |
| Fate | Acquired by BAE Systems Inc. |
| Headquarters | Broomfield, Colorado, U.S. |
Key people | Dave Kaufman - President |
Number of employees | c. 5,200 (2023) |
| Website | www |
Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., commonly referred to as Ball Aerospace, was a U.S.-based producer of spacecraft, components, and instrumentation serving national defense, civil space programs, and commercial markets.
Up until 2024, it functioned as a fully owned subsidiary of Ball Corporation, with its main office located in Boulder, Colorado. Its primary operations were situated in Broomfield and Westminster, accompanied by smaller branches in New Mexico, Ohio, northern Virginia, Missouri, and Maryland. In 2024, the company was acquired by BAE Systems Inc. and subsequently incorporated into their Space & Mission Systems division.
History
Established in 1956 under the name Ball Brothers Research Corporation, Ball Aerospace initially specialized in manufacturing pointing control systems for military rockets and secured contracts to produce some of NASA’s earliest spacecraft, including the Orbiting Solar Observatory series. Over time, it expanded its aerospace technology contributions across NASA and defense sectors.
The company’s range of products encompassed lubricants, optical devices, star trackers, and antenna systems. As a subsidiary of Ball Corporation, Ball Aerospace was ranked as the 54th largest defense contractor worldwide in 2023. Both the parent company and Ball Aerospace maintained their headquarters in Broomfield, Colorado.
In August 2023, Ball Corporation announced an agreement to sell Ball Aerospace to BAE Systems Inc. for $5.6 billion in cash. Following receipt of regulatory clearance by February 14, 2024, the transaction was finalized on February 16, 2024.
Participating projects
- The autonomous satellite servicing mission known as Orbital Express
- The Earth observation satellite WorldView-2
- The satellite mission AEROS (satellite)
- The New Horizons instrument called Ralph
- The aspect camera (a star tracker) and science instrument module (SIM) for the Chandra X-ray Observatory
- Seven scientific instruments for the Hubble Space Telescope: (COS, WFC3, ACS, NICMOS, STIS, COSTAR, and GHRS), along with two star trackers, five key equipment subsystems, and specialized tools supporting servicing missions
- The optical mirror system for the James Webb Space Telescope
- The Kepler space telescope
See also
External links
- Pages with broken file links
- Ball Corporation
- Aerospace firms in the United States
- U.S. defense contractors
- Spacecraft producers
- Colorado-based manufacturing companies
- Businesses located in Boulder, Colorado
- Enterprises situated in Broomfield, Colorado
- Manufacturing firms founded in 1956
- 1956 establishments in Colorado
- Science and technology sectors in Colorado
- American corporations founded in 1956
- Mergers and acquisitions of 2024
- American companies established in 1956