Product category: Batteries and Chargers
News Release from: Saft Space and Defence Batteries | Subject: Saft lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery technology
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial Team on 14 January 2008
Batteries help satellites survive in the
dark
Saft batteries provide power for the spacecraft system during the two eclipse seasons per year when the solar panels are not exposed to the sun.
Saft lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery technology is powering the new Horizons-2 GEO satellite, released on December 21 by an Ariane 5 GS launch vehicle from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana Horizons-2, based on Orbital Sciences' STAR-2 platform, is the sixth satellite in orbit to feature Saft Li-ion batteries
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 18 Dec 2006 at 8.00am (UK)
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"The successful launch of Horizons-2 marks the 19th spacecraft to rely on Saft Li-ion batteries", said Thomas Alcide, Saft Specialty Battery Group General Manager.
"This launch strengthens our partnership with Orbital Sciences to promote the safety and reliability of Li-ion batteries for GEO applications and consolidate Saft's position as a key supplier for the US space industry".
Orbital Sciences built the Horizons-2 satellite for Horizons-2 Satellite, a joint venture between Intelsat and JSAT of Japan.
Further reading
Satellite powered by rechargeable batteries
A freshly launched low earth orbit satellite is the first to be powered by Saft's commercially available space-qualified MP 176065 rechargeable lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries.
Lithium iron phosphate enters battery mix
Saft offers the highest performance LiFePO4 cells available today, measured in specific power or specific energy.
It has been released into an orbital slot at 74 degrees west longitude to help meet the growing demand for Ku-band satellite communications services in North America.
The satellite features both a continental US (CONUS) beam and an East Coast beam, which extends the spacecraft's coverage to include the Caribbean and parts of Canada.
Horizons-2 is the sixth orbital satellite in orbit to feature Saft Li-ion batteries.
The others are DART, a US government mission, Optus D1, Optus D2 and Intelsat 11.
The on-board batteries play a vital role in the operation of GEO satellites by providing power for the spacecraft system during the two eclipse seasons per year when the solar panels are not exposed to the sun.
Saft's Li-ion battery technology has a specific energy of 120Wh/kg.
This enables the satellite manufacturer to take advantage of weight savings of around 30 to 50% compared with nickel-hydrogen batteries.
This means that more of the satellite's crucial mass can be dedicated to the payload, helping to generate increased revenue.
The Saft Li-ion batteries also ensure complete reliability over the satellite's 15-year mission life.
The Horizons-2 satellite is equipped with batteries based on Saft's space-proven VES140 Li-ion cells, each capable of delivering 40Ah.
It features two batteries, each comprising 36 cells in a 4P9S configuration.
The cells are manufactured in Saft's facility in Bordeaux, France and assembled into the batteries in Saft's facility in Poitiers.
The launch is Arianespace's milestone sixth mission of 2007.
The Ariane 5 GS launch vehicle uses a variety of Saft specialised spacecraft Ag-Zn and Ni-Cd batteries to support its in-flight systems. Request a free brochure from Saft Space and Defence Batteries ...
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