Ball Aerospace wins defense contract

BOULDER – Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. in Boulder has been awarded a $13.4 million U.S. Air Force contract to procure hardware for a second Space Test Program Standard Interface Vehicle spacecraft. The first STP-SIV spacecraft launch is expected in the first quarter of 2010.

The contract follows the prime contract signed in April 2006 for the first Department of Defense STP-SIV vehicle that included a provision for up to six vehicle orders for the Air Force Space Development & Test Wing’s Space Development Group at Kirtland Air Force Base, Albuquerque, N.M.

The contract is a follow-on to the first STP-SIV space vehicle, which recently completed the initial phase of system environmental testing including electromagnetic interference and compatibility, to be followed by vibration and thermal vacuum testing.

“This type of arrangement, in addition to driving down costs, enhances U.S. space superiority,´ said Drew Crouch, vice president and general manager for Ball Aerospace’s National Defense business unit.

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