Saft - Space qualified Li-ion cell for LEO satellite missions

Visitors to Booth D137 in Hall 2B at Le Bourget will also be able to see how Saft is pioneering a range of new battery technology for spacecraft, based on over 40 year's experience in the design, development, manufacture and supply of onboard battery systems for satellites (GEO, MEO and LEO), launchers and other space vehicles. Saft works in close cooperation with a variety of global customers including prime contractors, telecom operators and space agencies. The new VES16 is a low capacity cylindrical cell that has been developed and qualified by Saft for LEO missions in a project that has been partially financed by France’s CNES (Centre National d’Etudes Spaciales).

It features the same nickel-based oxide Li-ion chemistry that has been demonstrated to deliver an extended service life on Saft’s extensively spaceflightproven VES140 cells that are already operating on a number of successful satellite missions. The VES16 cell has a nominal capacity of 4.5 Ah with a specific energy higher than 155 Wh/kg. It is designed to provide the building blocks for the creation of onboard battery modules to cover a large range of satellite power requirements. During the proving tests, the new cell has completed 15,000 LEO cycles to date – the tests are still continuing. It has also demonstrated the capability to support 22 GEO seasons with minimal fading (a loss of less than one percent). VES cells are manufactured in Saft’s facility in Bordeaux, France and are assembled into battery modules in Saft’s facility in Poitiers. The VES16 cells will be commercially available by the end of 2011.