# Presentation: 449223

## 29th June 2006

**IPPW, Pasadena**

**“****Advances In Battery Technology Relevant For Planetary Probes”**

**Chris Pearson, 303 241 1229**
- _[chris.pearson@abslpower.com](mailto:chris.pearson@abslpower.com)__ _

## Space Battery Milestones

- First rechargeable Lithium-ion batteries powering spacecraft in orbit around Earth, Mars and Venus ✓
- 19 spacecraft launched powered by ABSL Lithium-ion   ✓
- 9 LEO (including longest serving Li-ion battery 4.5years)
- 5 Interplanetary
- 4 Geostationary Transfer Orbit
- 1 Medium Earth Orbit
- Awarded battery contracts for Lithium-ion 60+ spacecraft and launch vehicles ✓
- More than 2,500 Lithium-ion cell years in space without failure ✓

-  ✓ denotes industry leader

## Company History

- 1945		Government agency: UKAEA
- 1996 		Public company: AEA Technology plc
- 2005		Purchased by US Company
- 2005	 	Renamed as ABSL Power Solutions Ltd (space unit: ABSL 		Space Products)
- 2006		ABSL Inc. registered and operating as a US Small Business

## Batteries For All Space Mission Types 

- Picard
- Pleaides
- PROBA
- Rapideye
- SAR Lupe
- Saudisat
- Spirale
- SSR-1
- TACSAT-3
- TALISAT
- TerraSAR-X
- THEOS
- ZASat-1

- GEO
- GSAT-4
- SDO
- GTO
- ST5
- STRV1-c
- HEO
- THEMIS
- MEO
- GSTB-V2/A

- Interplanetary
- Beagle2
- Kepler
- Mars Express
- Philae
- Rosetta
- Venus Express
- LRO
- Lagrange
- Herschel
- Planck
- Launch Vehicles
- AHPS
- KSLV-1

- LEO
- AEOLUS
- ARGO
- CASSIOPE
- CFEsat
- Cryosat
- Demeter
- DSE
- ESSAIM
- FOTON *
- GOCE
- Microscope
- Nsat
- Oryx
- Parasol

- * Plus re-entry

## Lithium-ion Benefits

- Low mass
- Small Footprint
- Low Maintenance
- Simple integration

## ABSL Small-Cell Approach

- ABSL uses commercially available cells
- ABSL performs one-off space qualification programs
- ABSL procures large batches of cells
- Lot Acceptance test on each batch
- Each cell individually screened
- Cells are matched for flight batteries
- Extremely high cell uniformity ensured
- ABSL connects cells in s-p topology
- Fine tune capacity, voltage
- Internal protection devices replace bypass
- SPF results in small capacity loss
- No charge balancing required

## Philae Lander Battery

- Rosetta/Philae launched March 2004
- 10.5 year cruise phase
- Orbit around comet 67P Churymov-Gerasimenko
- Philae lander and Rosetta powered by ABSL Li-ion

- Courtesy ESA

## Philae Lander Battery

- 14 ABSL 18650HC cells
- Two batteries delivered
- 25.5V,  3Ah
- 7V, 10.5Ah
- Rosetta 50Ah battery
- Staggered cells to minimize footprint
- Battery performing nominally

## Beagle 2 Lander

- Mars Express launched June 2003
- Carried Beagle 2 Mars lander
- 6 month Cruise phase to Mars
- Mars Express 2.5 yrs Martian Orbit (5-55%DOD)
- Beagle 2 lost post deployment, Christmas 2003
- Beagle 2 battery health confirmed via health check

- Courtesy ESA

- Courtesy BNSC

## Beagle 2 Battery

- Highly customized design
- Small-cells make max use of odd footprint
- Battery structure part of spacecraft structure
- Low temperature
- Li-ion self-heating utilized to warm battery in Martian night (-30degC)

## Next-Generation Li-ion

- ABSL has space qualified three Lithium-ion 18650 cells
- Two high density (110 and 150Wh/kg at battery level)
- High rate (10C continuous capability, >80C pulse capability)
- Cells in pre-qual
- Low temp (80% capacity @ --40degC)
- 180Wh/kg battery level
- Mature, scalable packaging scheme

## FOTON M3 Battery

- Two week LEO science experiment
- Prior to re-entry, spacecraft switched onto primary battery
- Powers re-entry operations and 10-12 hours recovery period
- Driver for battery, high energy density and low temp performance

- Courtesy ESA

## ABSL 33111PR Cell

- High Energy Density Lithium Primary
- >370Wh/kg at -10degC
- >480Wh/kg at 20degC
- >500Wh/kg at 60degC
- Mechanically highly robust
- Shock 90g for 40ms
- 9s3p Batteries in build
- 90Ah
- Over current, charge protection
- Qualification imminent

## Acknowledgements

- ABSL would like to thank our friends and colleagues in the space industry for their continued support of our space battery program

## For more information contact:	Chris Pearson	Business Development Manager (USA)	303 241 1229	chris.pearson@abslpower.com