Acting NASA Deputy Administrator Lesa Roe, right, speaks with Rob Strain, president of Ball Aerospace, Thursday, April 6, 2017 during a visit to Ball Aerospace in Boulder, Colo. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot, center, is seen during a visit to the environmental test facilities at Ball Aerospace, Thursday, April 6, 2017 in Boulder, Colo. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Acting NASA Deputy Administrator Lesa Roe, center, views a clean room with Tim Schoenweis, senior project engineer for the Ozone Mapping Profiler Suite (OMPS) at Ball Aerospace, left, Thursday, April 6, 2017 at Ball Aerospace in Boulder, Colo. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot, left, views a clean room with Tim Schoenweis, senior project engineer for the Ozone Mapping Profiler Suite (OMPS) at Ball Aerospace, right, Thursday, April 6, 2017 at Ball Aerospace in Boulder, Colo. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Acting NASA Deputy Administrator Lesa Roe, second from left, and acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot, second from left, are seen with Mike Gazarik, vice president of Engineering at Ball Aerospace, left and Shawn Conley, test operations manager at Ball Aerospace, left, in front of the large semi-anechoic chamber, Thursday, April 6, 2017 during a visit to Ball Aerospace in Boulder, Colo. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Michael Dean, senior project engineer for the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) program at Ball Aerospace, right, speaks with acting NASA Deputy Administrator Lesa Roe, second from left, and acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot, center, about the 20ft. by 24 ft. vertical thermal vacuum chamber, Thursday, April 6, 2017 during a visit to Ball Aerospace in Boulder, Colo. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Leanne Presley, Operational Land Imager-2 (OLI-2) program manager at Ball Aerospace, left, speaks with acting NASA Deputy Administrator Lesa Roe, center, and acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot in front of a thermal vacuum chamber used to test satellite optics, Thursday, April 6, 2017 during a visit to Ball Aerospace in Boulder, Colo. The Operation Land Imager-2 (OLI-2) is being build for Landsat 9, a collaboration between NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey that will continue the Landsat Program's 40-year data record of monitoring the Earth's landscapes from space. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

BALL AEROSPACE, Boulder, Colo. – In a cleanroom at Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp., technicians inspect NASA's National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project NPP satellite following electromagnetic compatibility testing. A United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket will carry NPP into space. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System JPSS to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA's Earth Observing System EOS satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 27. For more information, visit http:__www.nasa.gov_NPP. Photo credit: Ball Aerospace

BALL AEROSPACE, Boulder, Colo. – In the Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp. Production and Test Facility in Boulder, Colo., NASA's National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project NPP satellite undergoes inspection by technicians after successfully completing end-to-end electromagnetic compatibility testing. A United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket will carry NPP into space. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System JPSS to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA's Earth Observing System EOS satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 27. For more information, visit http:__www.nasa.gov_NPP. Photo credit: Ball Aerospace

BALL AEROSPACE, Boulder, Colo. – In a Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp. cleanroom in Boulder, Colo., NASA's National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project NPP satellite is undergoing Electromagnetic Interference_Electromagnetic Compatibility EMI_EMC testing. A United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket will carry NPP into space. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System JPSS to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA's Earth Observing System EOS satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 27. For more information, visit http:__www.nasa.gov_NPP. Photo credit: Ball Aerospace

BALL AEROSPACE, Boulder, Colo. – In a cleanroom at Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp., NASA's National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) satellite, with all systems integrated, is being lowered by technicians into a thermal vacuum chamber for testing. A United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket will carry NPP into space. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 27. For more information, visit http:__www.nasa.gov_NPP. Photo credit: Ball Aerospace

NASA Kepler spacecraft in a clean room at Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. in Boulder, Colo.

BALL AEROSPACE AND NASA ENGINEERS & TECHNICIANS INSTALL MIRRORS ON THE ROTATABLE CRYOGENIC OPTICAL TEST STAND IN MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER’S XRCF CLEAN ROOM

BALL AEROSPACE, Boulder, Colo. – In a Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp. cleanroom in Boulder, Colo., technicians have completed integration and performance testing of the Cross-track Infrared Sounder CrIS that will fly aboard NASA's National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project NPP satellite. CrIS will produce high-resolution, three-dimensional temperature, pressure, and moisture profiles which will be used to enhance weather forecasting models for short and long-term weather forecasting. A United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket will carry NPP into space. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System JPSS to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA's Earth Observing System EOS satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 27. For more information, visit http:__www.nasa.gov_NPP. Photo credit: Ball Aerospace

BALL AEROSPACE, Boulder, Colo. – In a cleanroom at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp. technicians begin integration of the medium resolution Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite VIIRS into NASA’s National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project NPP satellite. NPP is carrying five instruments on board, the biggest being VIIRS which will provide highly detailed imagery of clouds, vegetation, snow cover, dust storms, sea surface temperature and other environmental phenomena. A United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket will carry NPP into space. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System JPSS to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA's Earth Observing System EOS satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 27. For more information, visit http:__www.nasa.gov_NPP. Photo credit: Ball Aerospace

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- In a clean room at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp., technicians perform final testing on NASA’s National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) satellite. A United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket will carry NPP into space. NPP represents a critical first step in building the next-generation of Earth-observing satellites. NPP will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this satellite fleet, now known as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) to be launched in 2016. NPP is the bridge between NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and the forthcoming series of JPSS satellites. The mission will test key technologies and instruments for the JPSS missions. NPP is targeted to launch Oct. 27. For more information, visit http:__www.nasa.gov_NPP. Photo credit: Ball Aerospace

NASA Kepler spacecraft at Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. in Boulder, Colo.

NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer in the clean room at Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., in Boulder, Colo.

This image shows NASA Deep Impact spacecraft being built at Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corporation, Boulder, Colo. on July 2, 2005. The spacecraft impactor was released from Deep Impact flyby spacecraft.

This image shows NASA Deep Impact spacecraft being built at Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corporation, Boulder, Colo. On July 2, 2005. The impactor S-band antenna is the rectangle-shaped object seen on the top of the impactor.

BALL ENGINEERS DISMANTLE ARRAY OF SIX GOLD-PLATED JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE MIRRORS FOR TRANSPORT TO BALL AEROSPACE AFTER CRYOGENIC TESTING AT MARSHALL'S X-RAY AND CRYOGENIC FACILITY.

BALL ENGINEERS DISMANTLE ARRAY OF SIX GOLD-PLATED JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE MIRRORS FOR TRANSPORT TO BALL AEROSPACE AFTER CRYOGENIC TESTING AT MARSHALL'S X-RAY AND CRYOGENIC FACILITY.

BALL ENGINEERS DISMANTLE ARRAY OF SIX GOLD-PLATED JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE MIRRORS FOR TRANSPORT TO BALL AEROSPACE AFTER CRYOGENIC TESTING AT MARSHALL'S X-RAY AND CRYOGENIC FACILITY.

BALL ENGINEERS DISMANTLE ARRAY OF SIX GOLD-PLATED JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE MIRRORS FOR TRANSPORT TO BALL AEROSPACE AFTER CRYOGENIC TESTING AT MARSHALL'S X-RAY AND CRYOGENIC FACILITY.

BALL ENGINEERS DISMANTLE ARRAY OF SIX GOLD-PLATED JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE MIRRORS FOR TRANSPORT TO BALL AEROSPACE AFTER CRYOGENIC TESTING AT MARSHALL'S X-RAY AND CRYOGENIC FACILITY.

BALL ENGINEERS DISMANTLE ARRAY OF SIX GOLD-PLATED JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE MIRRORS FOR TRANSPORT TO BALL AEROSPACE AFTER CRYOGENIC TESTING AT MARSHALL'S X-RAY AND CRYOGENIC FACILITY.

Makenzie Lystrup, vice president and general manager, civil space, Ball Aerospace, participates in a prelaunch news conference for NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) spacecraft on Dec. 7, 2021 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. IXPE is scheduled to launch no earlier than 1 a.m. EST Thursday, Dec. 9, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A. NASA’s Launch Services Program is managing this launch. NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the IXPE mission. Ball Aerospace, headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado, manages spacecraft operations with support from the University of Colorado at Boulder. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the Explorers Program for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The U.S. Space Force’s Space Launch Delta 45 provides range support for this launch. SpaceX is providing the launch vehicle for this mission.

MacKenzie Ferrie, IXPE program manager, Ball Aerospace, participates in a payload briefing for NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) spacecraft on Dec.7, 2021 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. IXPE is scheduled to launch no earlier than 1 a.m. EST Thursday, Dec. 9, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A. NASA’s Launch Services Program is managing this launch. NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the IXPE mission. Ball Aerospace, headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado, manages spacecraft operations with support from the University of Colorado at Boulder. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the Explorers Program for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The U.S. Space Force’s Space Launch Delta 45 provides range support for this launch. SpaceX is providing the launch vehicle for this mission.

Kepler project; technicians from Ball Aerospace work on and in the test chamber assembled at Nasa Ames Research center testing components

Kepler project; technicians from Ball Aerospace work on and in the test chamber assembled at Nasa Ames Research center testing components

A BALL AEROSPACE TECHNICIAN STANDS WITHIN A JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE ARRAY THAT WAS IN THE X-RAY AND CRYOGENIC FACILITY FOR TESTING

Kepler project; technicians from Ball Aerospace work on and in the test chamber assembled at Nasa Ames Research center testing components

BALL AEROSPACE TECHNICIANS REMOVE FINAL SIX JWST MIRRORS TESTED AT MSFC X-RAY AND CRYOGENIC FACILITY

BALL AEROSPACE TECHNICIANS REMOVE FINAL SIX JWST MIRRORS TESTED AT MSFC X-RAY AND CRYOGENIC FACILITY

Kepler project; technicians from Ball Aerospace work on and in the test chamber assembled at Nasa Ames Research center testing components

Kepler project; technicians from Ball Aerospace work on and in the test chamber assembled at Nasa Ames Research center testing components

Kepler project; technicians from Ball Aerospace work on and in the test chamber assembled at Nasa Ames Research center testing components

Kepler project; technicians from Ball Aerospace work on and in the test chamber assembled at Nasa Ames Research center testing components

Kepler project; technicians from Ball Aerospace work on and in the test chamber assembled at Nasa Ames Research center testing components

BALL AEROSPACE TECHNICIANS REMOVE FINAL SIX JWST MIRRORS TESTED AT MSFC X-RAY AND CRYOGENIC FACILITY

Kepler project; technicians from Ball Aerospace work on and in the test chamber assembled at Nasa Ames Research center testing components

BALL AEROSPACE’S SCOTT MURRAY INSPECTS MIRRORS FOR THE JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE IN THE X-RAY AND CRYOGENIC FACILITY

BALL AEROSPACE TECHNICIANS REMOVE FINAL SIX JWST MIRRORS TESTED AT MSFC X-RAY AND CRYOGENIC FACILITY

Kepler project; technicians from Ball Aerospace work on and in the test chamber assembled at Nasa Ames Research center testing components

BALL AEROSPACE TECHNICIANS REMOVE FINAL SIX JWST MIRRORS TESTED AT MSFC X-RAY AND CRYOGENIC FACILITY

Kepler project; technicians from Ball Aerospace work on and in the test chamber assembled at Nasa Ames Research center testing components

Kepler project; technicians from Ball Aerospace work on and in the test chamber assembled at Nasa Ames Research center testing components

BALL AEROSPACE TECHNICIANS REMOVE FINAL SIX JWST MIRRORS TESTED AT MSFC X-RAY AND CRYOGENIC FACILITY

Kepler project; technicians from Ball Aerospace work on and in the test chamber assembled at Nasa Ames Research center testing components

Kepler project; technicians from Ball Aerospace work on and in the test chamber assembled at Nasa Ames Research center testing components

Kepler project; technicians from Ball Aerospace work on and in the test chamber assembled at Nasa Ames Research center testing components

Kepler project; technicians from Ball Aerospace work on and in the test chamber assembled at Nasa Ames Research center testing components

Kepler project; technicians from Ball Aerospace work on and in the test chamber assembled at Nasa Ames Research center testing components

Kepler project; technicians from Ball Aerospace work on and in the test chamber assembled at Nasa Ames Research center testing components

Kepler project; technicians from Ball Aerospace work on and in the test chamber assembled at Nasa Ames Research center testing components

Kepler project; technicians from Ball Aerospace work on and in the test chamber assembled at Nasa Ames Research center testing components

Kepler project; technicians from Ball Aerospace work on and in the test chamber assembled at Nasa Ames Research center testing components

Kepler project; technicians from Ball Aerospace work on and in the test chamber assembled at Nasa Ames Research center testing components

Kepler project; technicians from Ball Aerospace work on and in the test chamber assembled at Nasa Ames Research center testing components

Kepler project; technicians from Ball Aerospace work on and in the test chamber assembled at Nasa Ames Research center testing components

Kepler project; technicians from Ball Aerospace work on and in the test chamber assembled at Nasa Ames Research center testing components

Kepler project; technicians from Ball Aerospace work on and in the test chamber assembled at Nasa Ames Research center testing components

Kepler project; technicians from Ball Aerospace work on and in the test chamber assembled at Nasa Ames Research center testing components

BALL AEROSPACE TECHNICIANS REMOVE FINAL SIX JWST MIRRORS TESTED AT MSFC X-RAY AND CRYOGENIC FACILITY

Kepler project; technicians from Ball Aerospace work on and in the test chamber assembled at Nasa Ames Research center testing components

BALL AEROSPACE TECHNICIANS REMOVE FINAL SIX JWST MIRRORS TESTED AT MSFC X-RAY AND CRYOGENIC FACILITY

Kepler project; technicians from Ball Aerospace work on and in the test chamber assembled at Nasa Ames Research center testing components

Kepler project; technicians from Ball Aerospace work on and in the test chamber assembled at Nasa Ames Research center testing components

BALL AEROSPACE’S DAVE CHANEY INSPECTS THE JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE IN THE X-RAY AND CRYOGENIC FACILITY

BALL AEROSPACE TECHNICIANS REMOVE FINAL SIX JWST MIRRORS TESTED AT MSFC X-RAY AND CRYOGENIC FACILITY

Kepler project; technicians from Ball Aerospace work on and in the test chamber assembled at Nasa Ames Research center testing components

Kepler project; technicians from Ball Aerospace work on and in the test chamber assembled at Nasa Ames Research center testing components

Kepler project; technicians from Ball Aerospace work on and in the test chamber assembled at Nasa Ames Research center testing components

BALL AEROSPACE'S JAKE LEWIS IS REFLECTED IN ONE OF THE MIRRORS ON A JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE ARRAY THAT WAS IN THE X-RAY AND CRYOGENIC FACILITY FOR TESTING

Kepler project; technicians from Ball Aerospace work on and in the test chamber assembled at Nasa Ames Research center testing components with Fred Witterborn of NASA Ames

A payload briefing for NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) spacecraft is held on Dec.7, 2021 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Participants from left are Brian Ramsey, deputy principal investigator, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center; Elisabetta Cavazzuti, ASI IXPE program manager, Italian Space Agency; Luca Baldini, Italian co-principal investigator, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center; and MacKenzie Ferrie, IXPE program manager, Ball Aerospace. IXPE is scheduled to launch no earlier than 1 a.m. EST Thursday, Dec. 9, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A. NASA’s Launch Services Program is managing this launch. NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the IXPE mission. Ball Aerospace, headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado, manages spacecraft operations with support from the University of Colorado at Boulder. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the Explorers Program for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The U.S. Space Force’s Space Launch Delta 45 provides range support for this launch. SpaceX is providing the launch vehicle for this mission.

A payload briefing for NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) spacecraft is held on Dec.7, 2021 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Participants from left are Karen Fox, moderator, NASA Communications; Brian Ramsey, deputy principal investigator, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center; Elisabetta Cavazzuti, ASI IXPE program manager, Italian Space Agency; Luca Baldini, Italian co-principal investigator, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center; and MacKenzie Ferrie, IXPE program manager, Ball Aerospace. IXPE is scheduled to launch no earlier than 1 a.m. EST Thursday, Dec. 9, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A. NASA’s Launch Services Program is managing this launch. NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the IXPE mission. Ball Aerospace, headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado, manages spacecraft operations with support from the University of Colorado at Boulder. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the Explorers Program for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The U.S. Space Force’s Space Launch Delta 45 provides range support for this launch. SpaceX is providing the launch vehicle for this mission.

A payload briefing for NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) spacecraft is held on Dec.7, 2021 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Participants from left are Karen Fox, moderator, NASA Communications; Brian Ramsey, deputy principal investigator, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center; Elisabetta Cavazzuti, ASI IXPE program manager, Italian Space Agency; Luca Baldini, Italian co-principal investigator, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center; and MacKenzie Ferrie, IXPE program manager, Ball Aerospace. IXPE is scheduled to launch no earlier than 1 a.m. EST Thursday, Dec. 9, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A. NASA’s Launch Services Program is managing this launch. NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the IXPE mission. Ball Aerospace, headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado, manages spacecraft operations with support from the University of Colorado at Boulder. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the Explorers Program for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The U.S. Space Force’s Space Launch Delta 45 provides range support for this launch. SpaceX is providing the launch vehicle for this mission.

A prelaunch news conference for NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) spacecraft is held on Dec. 7, 2021 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Participants from left are Greg Harland, moderator, NASA communications; Martin Weisskopf, IXPE principal investigator, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center; Makenzie Lystrup, vice president and general manager, civil space, Ball Aerospace; Tim Dunn, launch director, NASA’s Launch Services Program; Julianna Scheiman, director, civil satellite missions, SpaceX; Julianna Scheiman, director, civil satellite missions, SpaceX; and Mike McAleenan, 45th Weather Squadron, Space Launch Delta 45. IXPE is scheduled to launch no earlier than 1 a.m. EST Thursday, Dec. 9, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A. NASA’s Launch Services Program is managing this launch. NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the IXPE mission. Ball Aerospace, headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado, manages spacecraft operations with support from the University of Colorado at Boulder. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the Explorers Program for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The U.S. Space Force’s Space Launch Delta 45 provides range support for this launch. SpaceX is providing the launch vehicle for this mission.

iss070e102646 (Feb. 27, 2024) --- JAXA's (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) free-flying robotic camera, also known as the JEM (Japanese Experiment Module) Internal Ball Camera 2, is pictured during a technology demonstration inside the Kibo laboratory module. The Internal Ball Camera 2 is being tested for its ability to autonomously maneuver and navigate aboard the International Space Station while photographing and videotaping crew activities.

NASA ADMINISTRATOR CHARLES BOLDEN LOOKS ON AS BALL AEROSPACE TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION PRINCIPLE OPTICAL ENGINEER DAVE CHANEY EXPLAINS HOW THE JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE MIRROR SEGMENTS ARE TESTED IN MARSHALL'S X-RAY AND CRYOGENIC FACILITY. PICTURED FROM LEFT: HELEN COLE, WEBB TELESCOPE ACTIVITIES PROJECT MANAGER AT MARSHALL; CHARLES SCALES, ASSOCIATE DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR: ROBERT LIGHTFOOT, CENTER DIRECTOR; CHARLES BOLDEN, NASA ADMINISTRATOR; DAVE CHANEY, BALL OPTICAL ENGINEER.

iss070e102490 (Feb. 27, 2024) --- JAXA's (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) free-flying robotic camera, also known as the JEM (Japanese Experiment Module) Internal Ball Camera 2, is pictured during a technology demonstration inside the Kibo laboratory module. The Internal Ball Camera 2 is being tested for its ability to autonomously maneuver and navigate aboard the International Space Station while photographing and videotaping crew activities.

The Joint Polar Satellite System-1, or JPSS-1, arrives at the Astrotech Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. JPSS is the first in a series four next-generation environmental satellites in a collaborative program between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA. The satellite is scheduled to liftoff Nov. 10, 2017 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket.

Inside the Astrotech Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians and engineers remove protective wrapping from the Joint Polar Satellite System-1, or JPSS-1. JPSS is the first in a series four next-generation environmental satellites in a collaborative program between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA. The satellite is scheduled to liftoff Nov. 10, 2017 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket.

Still packed inside its shipping container, the Joint Polar Satellite System-1, or JPSS-1, has just arrived at the Astrotech Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. JPSS is the first in a series four next-generation environmental satellites in a collaborative program between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA. The satellite is scheduled to liftoff Nov. 10, 2017 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket.

BALL AEROSPACE ENGINEER DAVE CHANEY, (L), AND MARSHALL ENGINEER HARLAN HAIGHT, (R), GUIDE ARRAY OF SIX GOLD-PLATED JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE MIRRORS AFTER FINAL ACCEPTANCE TESTING AT MARSHALL'S X-RAY AND CRYOGENIC FACILITY

BALL AEROSPACE ENGINEER DAVE CHANEY, (L), AND MARSHALL ENGINEER HARLAN HAIGHT, (R), GUIDE ARRAY OF SIX GOLD-PLATED JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE MIRRORS AFTER FINAL ACCEPTANCE TESTING AT MARSHALL'S X-RAY AND CRYOGENIC FACILITY

iss068e071153 (March 6, 2021) --- Expedition 68 Flight Engineers (from right) Koichi Wakata of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and Sultan Alneyadi of UAE (United Arab Emirates) pose with an inflatable ball in the image of Mars aboard the International Space Station's Kibo laboratory module.

BALL AEROSPACE ENGINEER DAVE CHANEY, (L), AND MARSHALL ENGINEER HARLAN HAIGHT, (R), GUIDE ARRAY OF SIX GOLD-PLATED JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE MIRRORS AFTER FINAL ACCEPTANCE TESTING AT MARSHALL'S X-RAY AND CRYOGENIC FACILITY

BALL AEROSPACE ENGINEER DAVE CHANEY, (L), AND MARSHALL ENGINEER HARLAN HAIGHT, (R), GUIDE ARRAY OF SIX GOLD-PLATED JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE MIRRORS AFTER FINAL ACCEPTANCE TESTING AT MARSHALL'S X-RAY AND CRYOGENIC FACILITY

BALL AEROSPACE ENGINEER DAVE CHANEY, (L), AND MARSHALL ENGINEER HARLAN HAIGHT, (R), GUIDE ARRAY OF SIX GOLD-PLATED JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE MIRRORS AFTER FINAL ACCEPTANCE TESTING AT MARSHALL'S X-RAY AND CRYOGENIC FACILITY

BALL AEROSPACE ENGINEER DAVE CHANEY, (L), AND MARSHALL ENGINEER HARLAN HAIGHT, (R), GUIDE ARRAY OF SIX GOLD-PLATED JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE MIRRORS AFTER FINAL ACCEPTANCE TESTING AT MARSHALL'S X-RAY AND CRYOGENIC FACILITY

BALL AEROSPACE ENGINEER DAVE CHANEY, (L), AND MARSHALL ENGINEER HARLAN HAIGHT, (R), GUIDE ARRAY OF SIX GOLD-PLATED JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE MIRRORS AFTER FINAL ACCEPTANCE TESTING AT MARSHALL'S X-RAY AND CRYOGENIC FACILITY

BALL AEROSPACE ENGINEER DAVE CHANEY, (L), AND MARSHALL ENGINEER HARLAN HAIGHT, (R), GUIDE ARRAY OF SIX GOLD-PLATED JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE MIRRORS AFTER FINAL ACCEPTANCE TESTING AT MARSHALL'S X-RAY AND CRYOGENIC FACILITY

NASA ADMINISTRATOR CHARLES BOLDEN LISTENS AS BALL AEROSPACE TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION PRINCIPLE OPTICAL ENGINEER DAVE CHANEY EXPLAINS HOW MARSHALL'S X-RAY AND CRYOGENIC FACILITY CHILLS THE JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE MIRROR SEGMENTS TO -414 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT TO SIMULATE THE COLD TEMPERATURES OF SPACE.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., a Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp. technician Phil Mislinski checks data from the light sensor test conducted on NASA's Kepler spacecraft. Ball Aerospace was responsible for the flight segment design and fabrication. A NASA Discovery mission, Kepler is specifically designed to survey our region of the Milky Way galaxy to discover hundreds of Earth-size and smaller planets in or near the habitable zone and determine how many of the billions of stars in our galaxy have such planets. Results from this mission will allow us to place our solar system within the continuum of planetary systems in the Galaxy. After processing at Astrotech, Kepler will be carried to its launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. .NASA's planet-hunting Kepler mission is scheduled to launch no earlier than March 5 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., a Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp. technician Phil Mislinski checks data from the light sensor test conducted on NASA's Kepler spacecraft. Ball Aerospace was responsible for the flight segment design and fabrication. A NASA Discovery mission, Kepler is specifically designed to survey our region of the Milky Way galaxy to discover hundreds of Earth-size and smaller planets in or near the habitable zone and determine how many of the billions of stars in our galaxy have such planets. Results from this mission will allow us to place our solar system within the continuum of planetary systems in the Galaxy. After processing at Astrotech, Kepler will be carried to its launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. .NASA's planet-hunting Kepler mission is scheduled to launch no earlier than March 5 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Engineers at Ball Aerospace test the Wavefront Sensing and Control testbed to ensure that the 18 primary mirror segments and one secondary mirror on JWST work as one. The test is performed on a 1/6 scale model of the JWST mirrors. Credit: NASA/Northrop Grumman/Ball Aerospace To read more about the James Webb Space Telescope go to: <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/topics/technology/features/partnerships.html" rel="nofollow">www.nasa.gov/topics/technology/features/partnerships.html</a> <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a></b> is home to the nation's largest organization of combined scientists, engineers and technologists that build spacecraft, instruments and new technology to study the Earth, the sun, our solar system, and the universe.

A scale model of NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) spacecraft is on display during a payload briefing for IXPE on Dec.7, 2021 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. IXPE is scheduled to launch no earlier than 1 a.m. EST Thursday, Dec. 9, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A. NASA’s Launch Services Program is managing this launch. NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the IXPE mission. Ball Aerospace, headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado, manages spacecraft operations with support from the University of Colorado at Boulder. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the Explorers Program for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The U.S. Space Force’s Space Launch Delta 45 provides range support for this launch. SpaceX is providing the launch vehicle for this mission.

Karen Fox, NASA Communications, moderates a payload briefing for NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) spacecraft on Dec.7, 2021 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. IXPE is scheduled to launch no earlier than 1 a.m. EST Thursday, Dec. 9, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A. NASA’s Launch Services Program is managing this launch. NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the IXPE mission. Ball Aerospace, headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado, manages spacecraft operations with support from the University of Colorado at Boulder. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the Explorers Program for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The U.S. Space Force’s Space Launch Delta 45 provides range support for this launch. SpaceX is providing the launch vehicle for this mission.