Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.’s expanded facility in Boulder is more than just an enlarged manufacturing workspace — it signals the company’s plan to climb the ladder among aerospace prime contractors.

“We’ve been able to win a large number of (government) contracts because of our cost-effective model,” said Dave Taylor, president and chief executive of Ball Aerospace. “We are going to grow that market while looking for other sources.”

Flashing lights and the “2001: A Space Odyssey” theme song set a suspenseful scene Friday as a massive door rolled up from the floor, revealing the 90,000-square-foot expansion. Company employees and politicians gathered in the warehouse-like space that will house four cleanrooms and a large thermal vacuum chamber.

The $75 million investment from its parent company, Broomfield-based Ball Corp., is a mark of confidence in the future of its aerospace branch.

“We invest where we believe in the dollars and, more importantly, in the people here,” said Scott Morrison, chief financial officer for Ball Corp.

Construction began in 2005 on the Fisher Integration and Test Facilities expansion, the nation’s first facility built to strict security standards established in 2012. This makes Ball a viable competitor for the U.S. government’s most classified projects, officials said.

One of the cleanrooms has multiple doors requiring special clearance, air showers to remove loose particles from the entrants, motion sensors and two layers of floor-to-ceiling doors.

“In a nutshell, we can now do very large spacecraft,” Taylor said.

The expansion more than doubles the company’s manufacturing space in a compartmental approach that allows Ball to work on multiple projects while protecting its clients’ privacy.

Ball’s business relies on civil aerospace for 30 percent of its income and about 70 percent from defense. With the U.S. government’s recent budgetary crisis threatening to destabilize the aerospace industry, Ball hopes the facility allows it to diversify its client base.

“We are always looking for new revenue — some of it is in commercial,” Taylor said. “We are currently developing international partnerships and there seems to be a loosening up recently of satellite export restrictions, which helps.”

Three Colorado congressmen attended the event: Jared Polis, Ed Perlmutter and Cory Gardner.

Each mentioned the budgetary crisis. Political leaders in December pushed back the deadline for automatic spending cuts, as they attempt to reach a deal on deficit reduction.

Polis told the crowd that Ball executives estimated a loss of 10 percent to 25 percent of its workforce in Boulder County if the cuts happen.

“As a businessperson, the U.S. government is just a terrible client to have, and so I want to applaud your efforts at getting more commercial clients, too,” Polis said.

Ball Aerospace has nearly tripled in size in the last 10 years and employs more than 2,800. In 2011, Ball generated $784 million in sales and represents 10 percent of Ball Corp.’s total income.

Kristen Leigh Painter: 303-954-1939, kpainter@denverpost.com or twitter.com/kristenpainter

Numbers

$75 million

Investment made by Ball Corp. into subsidiary Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. in Boulder

90,000

Size, in square feet, of the Ball Aerospace plant expansion unveiled Friday

$784 million

Sales generated in 2011 by Ball Aerospace, about 10 percent of Ball Corp.’s total income