Latest News from ABSL Space Products
ABSL Space Products Eyes the Sun
23rd February 2010
ABSL Space Products, a manufacturer of Lithium-ion rechargeable space batteries, celebrates the successful launch of the NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) spacecraft on an Atlas V 401 rocket.
LONGMONT, Colorado (Date 11 February 2010) – ABSL Space Products, a manufacturer of Lithium-ion rechargeable space batteries, celebrates the successful launch of the NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) spacecraft on an Atlas V 401 rocket. The spacecraft will be positioned in a Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO), and is powered by ABSL Lithium-ion batteries. SDO will study the sun to help scientists understand the sun’s energy production mechanisms, the interior workings of the sun, and the ways in which energy is stored and released in the sun’s atmosphere.
ABSL’s Lithium-ion battery provides power for the satellite’s flight and scientific instrumentation as the spacecraft travels though the bi-yearly eclipse phases of its geosynchronous orbit over SDO’s 12 year mission goal. SDO will carry ABSL’s largest single module battery flown to date and utilizes ABSL’s heritage architecture to deliver a three deck unit providing 4.5kWh of energy through a 28 volt system.
ABSL’s Lithium-ion space flight experience surpasses every other battery vendor, and the SDO mission is a major flight heritage milestone. The SDO battery is a crucial step for future ABSL business as ABSL continues to expand its Lithium-ion batteries into the commercial and government GEO spacecraft market. ABSL recently delivered Lithium-ion hardware for a United States Government GEO mission and is currently working on a second battery for the same customer. ABSL has already delivered batteries that will fly on Indian GEO spacecraft this year, and also recently received a contract to power a commercial communications GEO satellite.
David Curzon, Project Manager for the SDO Battery, stated “ABSL is very proud to have once again worked closely with NASA and supplied essential hardware in support of this key GEO mission. It is an honor and a privilege to have collaborated with GSFC in contributing to the success of this project.”
In addition to the SDO battery contract, ABSL has delivered four other Lithium-ion battery contracts for NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) missions: Lunar Reconnaissance Obiter (LRO) launched together in 2009 with Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) also powered by ABSL Lithium-ion batteries; Space Technology 5 spacecraft that was launched by NASA in 2006 and now is successfully completed; and Time History of Events Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS) launched in 2007. ABSL recently kicked off the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) contract for GSFC which is one of ABSL largest capacity battery systems at over 350Ah.
Kevin Schrantz, ABSL Sales Manager said, “SDO marks ABSL’s longest GEO mission. SDO is rewarding from a technology standpoint as SDO is our largest capacity single module battery to date, but more importantly the SDO battery has paved the way for current and future ABSL GEO programs”.
ABSL To Conduct Astronaut Spacesuit Battery Program in Colorado
20th May 2008
On 12th May 2008, at the end of a competitive process, ABSL was awarded the contract to supply Lithium-ion battery hardware to power the astronaut Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) by NASA Johnson Space Center.
ABSL Lithium-ion Batteries Enable European GPS Satellite Mission To Be Extended
15th April 2008
Following the successful completion of the GIOVE-A satellite’s twenty-seven month mission, powered by ABSL’s Lithium Ion batteries, the European Space Agency (ESA) has recently announced that it considers GIOVE-A a “full mission success” and is therefore extending the mission by a further year. GIOVE-A is the first satellite in orbit as part of the new, European-led Galileo satellite navigation system.
ABSL Powers 4th SAR-LUPE Satellite in Orbit
02nd April 2008
ABSL Space Products Establishes Itself as Leaders in Batteries for Long-Duration SAR Missions.
Older news articles
- ABSL Space Products completes ALFA-F Project - 25th January 2008
- Mars Express - 5000 orbits and counting - 29th November 2007
- ABSL Batteries Power Another Year For PROBA Mission - 22nd October 2007
- ABSL Space Products Boosts Climate Monitoring - 22nd October 2007
- FOTON-M3 Mission Returns to Earth Using Power from ABSL Space Products - 26th September 2007
