Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. announced that Rob Strain will be joining the company as chief operating officer (COO) effective March 2012. In light of the continued significant business growth and opportunity, this new position was created to place additional emphasis on the company’s operational excellence and delivering on program commitments of the company. Strain will report directly to Ball Aerospace President and CEO, David L. Taylor.

“Rob Strain is a proven leader in the aerospace and defense industry,” said Taylor. “He has a unique blend of experience in the private, public and academic sectors of this market, including the majority of the company’s core markets – civil and defense space hardware and information. His outstanding record of managing programs and cultivating strong internal and external relationships allows Ball Aerospace to continue its tremendous growth trajectory and will infuse new energy in a dynamic environment.”

Strain will oversee the company’s operations, managing all four of its strategic business units: Civil and Operational Space; Tactical Solutions; National Defense; and Systems Engineering Solutions. He will also lead the support functions responsible for executing company programs, including engineering, program execution, mission assurance and information technology.

Strain currently serves as Director of NASA’s Goddard Spaceflight Center. His professional experience also includes leadership roles at The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Axiom Corp., Orbital Sciences Corp., and Fairchild Space and Defense.