Ball eyes Ares I rocket contract

Friday, September 28, 2007

By SHELBY G. SPIRES

Times Aerospace Writer shelby.spires@htimes.com

Instrument Unit deal could bring 70 new jobs to city

The company that builds items as diverse as grandma's glass canning jars to advanced optics for the Hubble Space Telescope is looking to expand its business in Huntsville in part by winning a major NASA Ares I rocket contract.

Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. is leading a three-member team bidding for the Ares I Instrument Unit, the guidance stage of the rocket that will carry the Orion crew capsule to the International Space Station or the moon.

The Instrument Unit will be designed, developed and managed by Marshall Space Flight Center but built by private contractors. The contract is expected to be awarded in mid-December.

"We will be working off Marshall's designs," William F. Townsend, Ball vice president for exploration systems, said Thursday. "So it's crucial we have a presence in Huntsville to work with Marshall."

Townsend said the work could bring more than 70 jobs to Huntsville, "and we have promised to recruit as many people from outside the community as possible because of the growth in the area of other aerospace and military work."

The contract also would be a boon for local suppliers, said Townsend, who spent 41 years with NASA before joining Ball in 2004. "We will buy the electronic components and avionics boxes that will be used on the Instrument Unit, and we have been in contact with some 60 or more Huntsville suppliers to do part of that."

The aerospace arm of Ball Co., which has the distinctive script logo that can be seen on canning jars, has extensive experience in space and military work and worked on the optics for the Hubble among other advanced projects, Townsend said. "Regardless of the Ares contract, we will continue to grow in Huntsville because half of what we do is intelligence and missile defense work."

Often called the brains of a rocket, instrument units guide launch vehicles on their paths into space. For Ares, NASA managers decided that the advanced guidance, navigation and control systems would be placed between the upper stage and the crew capsule.

If awarded the contract, Townsend said, Ball would serve as prime contractor, with major participation from Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne and Hamiliton Sundstrand.

The Instrument Unit is the last major piece of the Ares I that would be awarded by NASA. In July, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne won a $1.2 billion contract to produce the engine that will power the Ares upper stage. In August, ATK won a $1.8 billion contract for the solid-rocket-powered Ares first stage. Also in August, a team headed by Boeing Co. won a $514.7 million contract to build the Ares upper stage.



Ball eyes Ares I rocket contract Friday, September 28, 2007 By SHELBY G. SPIRES Times Aerospace Writer shelby.spires@htimes.com Instrument Unit deal could bring 70 new jobs to city The company that builds items as diverse as grandma's glass canning jars to advanced optics for the Hubble Space Telescope is looking to expand its business in Huntsville in part by winning a major NASA Ares I rocket contract. Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. is leading a three-member team bidding for the Ares I Instrument Unit, the guidance stage of the rocket that will carry the Orion crew capsule to the International Space Station or the moon. The Instrument Unit will be designed, developed and managed by Marshall Space Flight Center but built by private contractors. The contract is expected to be awarded in mid-December. "We will be working off Marshall's designs," William F. Townsend, Ball vice president for exploration systems, said Thursday. "So it's crucial we have a presence in Huntsville to work with Marshall." Townsend said the work could bring more than 70 jobs to Huntsville, "and we have promised to recruit as many people from outside the community as possible because of the growth in the area of other aerospace and military work." The contract also would be a boon for local suppliers, said Townsend, who spent 41 years with NASA before joining Ball in 2004. "We will buy the electronic components and avionics boxes that will be used on the Instrument Unit, and we have been in contact with some 60 or more Huntsville suppliers to do part of that." The aerospace arm of Ball Co., which has the distinctive script logo that can be seen on canning jars, has extensive experience in space and military work and worked on the optics for the Hubble among other advanced projects, Townsend said. "Regardless of the Ares contract, we will continue to grow in Huntsville because half of what we do is intelligence and missile defense work." Often called the brains of a rocket, instrument units guide launch vehicles on their paths into space. For Ares, NASA managers decided that the advanced guidance, navigation and control systems would be placed between the upper stage and the crew capsule. If awarded the contract, Townsend said, Ball would serve as prime contractor, with major participation from Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne and Hamiliton Sundstrand. The Instrument Unit is the last major piece of the Ares I that would be awarded by NASA. In July, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne won a $1.2 billion contract to produce the engine that will power the Ares upper stage. In August, ATK won a $1.8 billion contract for the solid-rocket-powered Ares first stage. Also in August, a team headed by Boeing Co. won a $514.7 million contract to build the Ares upper stage. © 2007 The Huntsville Times © 2007 al.com All Rights Reserved.