ABSL Power Solutions

Beagle2 is the first European mission to Mars and is scheduled to land in the early hours of Christmas Day to discover whether there has ever been life on the Red Planet. The Mars Express mission will carry out the most thorough search yet for the water that is essential for life on Mars.

AEA's low-weight, compact, Lithium-ion batteries have played crucial roles in both missions. Such qualities have attracted attention from the defence industry, including the UK MoD, where AEA's portable power technology is being exploited in its BOWMAN tactical communications programme.

AEA Battery Systems, a recognised world leader in batteries technology, 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 Battery Systems has now been awarded contracts for Lithium-ion batteries on over 30 spacecraft - more than any other company.

Space tribology is also a crucial element to the success of both Missions. ESTL is AEA Technology's space lubrication (tribology) business and part of AEA Technology Rail's Engineering Solutions division. ESTL's solutions included: the solid lubrication of the spin-up and eject mechanism on Mars Express; the adhesion testing of the separation device of the airbag gas generator; the lubrication, build and test of the Beagle 2 lid and solar array hinges and the joints on the Lander's robotic arm.

Dave Loughborough, Managing Director of AEA Battery Systems, said:

"AEA Technology has played a key role in Europe's first mission to Mars. AEA's involvement is the culmination of several years of work by our world-class battery and space tribology divisions, and we are all delighted that both crafts have reached this crucial and exciting phase of their missions."

Mars Express will not only be the first European Space Agency mission to Mars but will also pioneer more cost-effective methods of carrying out scientific studies in deep space.

--Ends--

Further Information

For media information please contact:

Benedict Payne / Louise Ellis, T: 020 7861 3137, Out of hours: 07720 291 920, or .

Alternatively please visit the following websites:

For AEA Technology plc, please visit www.aeat.com

For AEA Technology Battery Systems' battery business, please visit http://www.aeabatteries.com/.

For ESTL, a part of AEA Technology Rail's Engineering Solutions Business, go to http://www.solutionsinengineering.com/capspace.htm.

For the Beagle 2 mission please visit .

For ESA and the Mars Express mission, please visit http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Mars_Express/.

Notes to Editors

Seven scientific instruments, provided by space research institutes throughout Europe, will make observations from the main spacecraft (Mars Express) as it orbits the planet. The instruments will perform high-resolution imaging and mineralogical mapping of the surface, radar sounding of the subsurface structure down to the permafrost, precise determination of the atmospheric circulation and composition, and study of the interaction of the atmosphere with the interplanetary medium. As it reaches Mars (19 December) the spacecraft will release a small Lander that will journey to the planet's surface to look for signs of life. The Lander is called Beagle2 after the ship in which Charles Darwin sailed around the world and developed his theory of evolution.

AEA Technology's specialist battery business, AEA Battery Systems, designed, built and tested the rechargeable Lithium-ion batteries on-board each craft. For Mars-Express, the battery provides power when it 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. For Beagle2, the battery powers the Lander during the cold Martian night when solar energy is no longer available. Under these freezing conditions, the craft is kept at an operational temperature via a heater powered by the battery. The majority of the science will also be conducted at night due to the far higher resolution obtainable under the cover of darkness.

AEA Battery Systems has been selected to supply Lithium-ion batteries to over 30 spacecraft from major European Space Agency and NASA programmes to small satellites.

AEA's battery solutions are based on Lithium-ion materials technology, which the company invented.

Lithium-ion is an emerging technology within the space industry, offering significant benefits in mass over Nickel based technologies. Batteries produced by AEA Battery Systems have typically exceeded 110 Wh/kg. The first European Space Agency mission to be powered by Lithium-ion was the PROBA spacecraft launched in October 2001 using a battery supplied by AEA.

ESTL has been involved in the European space programme since the very first European satellite, OTS, was launched in 1978. Since then, ESTL has been involved in some way in virtually every European spacecraft without a single failure in orbit.

ESTL is a centre of excellence in the specialised field of space tribology solutions and satellite mechanism testing. It applies the science of tribology to the harsh and demanding environment experienced by mechanisms operating on spacecraft and also transfers its specialised products and services to high integrity vacuum applications on Earth.

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