AEA Battery Systems to power first comet landing
19th February 2004
AEA Battery Systems will be heading for the skies once more this month, as the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft starts its mission to become the first to enter a comet's orbit and land on its surface.
AEA provided Lithium-ion batteries to power the Rosetta mission, which aims to study the chemical composition of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, in order to shed light on the origins of the solar system. The twelve-year mission will blast off from Kourou, French Guiana on 26th February 2004.
AEA's re-chargeable batteries will power both the Rosetta spacecraft and its lander, 'Philae'. The AEA batteries were chosen primarily for their reduced size and weight - a crucial factor in space exploration. AEA's Lithium-ion batteries are approximately 50% lighter and smaller than other battery chemistries used in space exploration. Other important factors in the choice of AEA's batteries include:
- Temperature performance - AEA's Lithium-ion batteries can withstand both the harsh radiation and the severe cold of deep space
- Reliability - a vital factor on a twelve-year mission, which will take the spacecraft 675 million miles from the Sun.
AEA's in-house battery software analysis tools played an important part in building an understanding of the power requirements for the mission. Unlike spacecraft in Earth orbit, which have a regular eclipse and battery discharge cycle, Rosetta has a far more complicated mission profile. This includes three earth orbits plus one Mars orbit as well as extended hibernation periods between system power-ups. AEA's software was used to model the power requirements for Rosetta, providing confidence that the batteries have sufficient power for the mission.
Mike Healy from EADS Astrium, the Rosetta prime contractor said:
"A Nickel Cadmium battery was the original baseline for the spacecraft. However, the mass and volume savings offered by Lithium-ion technology, coupled with the reliability and performance of AEA's battery proved much more attractive."
Dave Loughborough, Managing Director of AEA Battery Systems comments:
"The Rosetta project is a further example of how AEA can supply clients with tailor-made power solutions in the most inhospitable environments known to man. We continue to develop our rechargeable Lithium-ion technology to offer benefits for space industry and terrestrial users in areas such as the defence and marine sectors."
AEA's Lithium-ion battery power recently powered the Mars Express Mission, which is already being heralded as a success. It is another first for AEA, which has more contracts for Lithium-ion batteries (over 30) than any other company.
--Ends--
Further Information
For media information please contact:
Adrian Chitty, 020 7861 3190, .
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Notes To Editors
AEA Battery Systems
AEA Battery Systems designs, develops and manufactures the world's most advanced portable power systems for markets where performance and reliability are critical. Its reputation and world-leading status derives from its invention and exploitation of Lithium-ion technology with Sony. More recently it has maintained its position at the forefront of Lithium-ion cell technology through partnerships with other leading Japanese battery companies, in particular, Japan Storage Battery Co., Ltd and Mitsubishi Materials Corporation. Among the company's 200 employees in the UK are some of the world's leading Lithium-ion scientists. AEA Battery Systems currently has UK bases in Thurso, Caithness; Glengarnock, near Glasgow; and Culham, Oxfordshire. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of AEA Technology plc.
Space Applications
AEA Battery Systems, designed, built and tested the rechargeable Lithium-ion batteries on-board Mars Express and the Beagle2 lander. For Mars-Express, the battery provides power when the spacecraft is hidden from the sun and supports peak power demands, which cannot be covered by the solar arrays. At other times solar power is used to operate the craft and recharge the batteries.
AEA and the British National Space Centre, have been jointly developing Lithium-ion batteries for space applications since 1997. Lithium-ion space batteries are more than 50 per cent smaller and lighter than their more traditional nickel cadmium equivalent leaving more room on the spacecraft for scientific equipment. AEA Technology has now been awarded contracts for Lithium-ion batteries on over 30 spacecraft - more than any other company.
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