Session
Technical Session X: Advanced Technologies 1
Abstract
As small satellite designers strive to squeeze greater performance into yet a smaller spacecraft volume, there is a great temptation to use emerging technologies from the consumer electronics world. However, as we are acutely aware, great care must be taken before relying on such technologies on a space mission. This applies to most elements of the spacecraft, but the battery is perhaps the most critical of subsystems to risk on a new technology. This reluctance to utilize new battery technologies in space is evident by the fact that many small satellite designers continue to use nickel cadmium as the technology of choice for energy storage; a technology that offers less than a fifth of the specific energy of a comparable lithium polymer battery. A recent study commissioned by ESA reviewed the global state-of-the-art in lithium polymer technology. The recommendations from the study were that small satellites in particular were a killer application for a lithium polymer battery, as its geometric flexibility is then an asset, and initial tests demonstrate that that they also promise the kind of performance expected for LEO small satellite missions. This paper provides an overview of the technology, the application evaluation for small satellites, the variety of the tests performed on the cells and the results of these tests. To conclude, the paper will discuss the way forward with the technology and planned future missions that will use lithium polymer as the primary means of energy storage.
Presentation Slides
Evaluation of Lithium Polymer Technology for Small Satellite Applications
As small satellite designers strive to squeeze greater performance into yet a smaller spacecraft volume, there is a great temptation to use emerging technologies from the consumer electronics world. However, as we are acutely aware, great care must be taken before relying on such technologies on a space mission. This applies to most elements of the spacecraft, but the battery is perhaps the most critical of subsystems to risk on a new technology. This reluctance to utilize new battery technologies in space is evident by the fact that many small satellite designers continue to use nickel cadmium as the technology of choice for energy storage; a technology that offers less than a fifth of the specific energy of a comparable lithium polymer battery. A recent study commissioned by ESA reviewed the global state-of-the-art in lithium polymer technology. The recommendations from the study were that small satellites in particular were a killer application for a lithium polymer battery, as its geometric flexibility is then an asset, and initial tests demonstrate that that they also promise the kind of performance expected for LEO small satellite missions. This paper provides an overview of the technology, the application evaluation for small satellites, the variety of the tests performed on the cells and the results of these tests. To conclude, the paper will discuss the way forward with the technology and planned future missions that will use lithium polymer as the primary means of energy storage.
