Ball to develop prototype phased array antenna for NASA's Space Launch System
BOULDER, Colo., 18 Nov. 2012. Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. in Boulder, Colo., will develop an S-Band phased array antenna for the next-generation U.S. Space Launch System (SLS) under terms of a NASA research contract.
The company will develop the prototype Ball Reliable Advanced Integrated Network (BRAIN) antenna to enable a sustained fast data downlink from launch through mission completion, Ball officials say.
The high-performance antenna will operate only for the seven-to-twelve minute period during launch when experts need video and telemetry information. Ball did not release the value of the contract.
“Ball’s antenna design and adaptability ensures that data will be maintained even in the event of a vehicle anomaly," says David Taylor, Ball Aerospace president and CEO.
The SLS will service the International Space Station, as well as provide new capability for human exploration beyond Earth orbit, NASA officials say. NASA is designing the SLS to be safe, affordable, and sustainable, and will take astronauts farther into space than ever before.
The SLS will be the most powerful rocket the U.S. has built since the Apollo-era Saturn V booster. This is Ball’s first contract win for the SLS.
For more information contact Ball Aerospace online at www.ball.com, or NASA at www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls.
John Keller | Editor
John Keller is editor-in-chief of Military & Aerospace Electronics magazine, which provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronic and optoelectronic technologies in military, space, and commercial aviation applications. A member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since the magazine's founding in 1989, Mr. Keller took over as chief editor in 1995.
