EnerSys Batteries are Out of this World
As the global leader in energy storage solutions, EnerSys has a vision to Power the Future – Everywhere for Everyone. Sometimes this means providing the most reliable technology for missions that are literally out of this world.
EnerSys has a remarkable record of technological innovation that extends beyond our atmosphere, like when the company made history by constructing the first Lithium-ion battery to power a satellite, setting the stage for countless space missions that have reshaped our understanding of the universe. These pioneering EnerSys® ABSL™ rechargeable Lithium-ion batteries have not only extended satellite operational life but have also enhanced the longevity of space missions, benefiting scientific communities worldwide.
EnerSys® batteries have been on incredible journeys, orbiting Earth, Mars, Venus, and even powering NASA's Parker Solar Probe on its daring mission to the sun. Over the years, these batteries have accumulated an astonishing 6.8 billion operational cell hours in space as of February 2022, all without a single mission failure, proving reliability beyond measure.
One of the notable missions powered by an EnerSys® battery is PROBA-1, a Belgian satellite launched in October 2001 that is still in operation today. This small yet remarkable satellite, part of European Space Agency's MicroSat program, has provided invaluable insights with its exceptional image-making capabilities of the Earth’s biosphere.
More recently, an EnerSys® battery was an integral part of the James Webb Space Telescope, launched in December 2021. The battery for the telescope was designed and manufactured in the EnerSys Longmont, Colorado facility. As the largest optical telescope in space, its high infrared resolution and sensitivity allow it to view objects too early, distant, or faint for the Hubble Space Telescope. The James Webb telescope promises to unveil even more mysteries of the cosmos in the future with its high-resolution capabilities.
“It’s an incredible feeling to be trusted by multiple world-renowned space agencies with such high-profile projects that are helping push the edge of space exploration,” said Mark Matthews, EnerSys Senior Vice President, Specialty Global. “Our technologies are known for being reliable, and we’re demonstrating that reliability in some of the most extreme conditions both known and unknown to man.”
Another remarkable mission EnerSys contributed to is the NASA DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test), where an EnerSys® battery powered the LiciaCube satellite which was launched in November 2021. This satellite was the first to test how feasible it is to change asteroid trajectories, as part of a potential earth-defense mechanism.
An EnerSys® battery will also be trusted to power the Roman Space Telescope (RST), which is poised to uncover the secrets of dark energy and dark matter when it launches in the mid-2020s. The RST is set to follow in the footsteps of the James Webb Space Telescope and aims to measure light from a billion galaxies over the course of the mission lifetime, while also performing a microlensing survey of the inner Milky Way to find ~2,600 exoplanets – planets outside of our solar system.
EnerSys also plays a vital role in powering the Mars Express mission, which has been operational for over 20 years, as well as the Galileo navigation system, Europe's answer to GPS. EnerSys also supports the European Space Agency’s Copernicus program and Sentinel satellites, which provide essential data for climate change and Earth monitoring.
When it comes to powering the future, everywhere for everyone, the sky is not the limit – it is just the beginning.