Saft rechargeable lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery technology powers Eutelsat’s HOT BIRD 8 Geo (geosynchronous) broadcast satellite which has just made a successful launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. HOT BIRD 8, based on EADS Spaces Eurostar E3000 platform, is the most powerful satellite ever ordered to serve Europe.
“The HOT BIRD project is further confirmation of the growing trend within the satellite industry towards using the latest Li-ion battery technology that can store the same amount of energy as nickel-cadmium or nickel-hydrogen batteries in a much smaller and lighter package” said John Searle, Saft CEO. “Saft Li-ion battery technology is already proving its performance and reliability on two existing commercial GEO satellites, and it will be on board a number of other launches scheduled for this year.”
For HOT BIRD 8, the battery system comprises two packs connected in parallel. The packs are made up of 11 modules connected in series, with each module comprising eight VES140S Li-ion cells in parallel. The VES cells were manufactured in Saft’s industrial factory in Bordeaux, France and integrated into the EADS SPACE cell modules and tested at Saft’s facility in Poitiers, France. Modules were integrated in complete batteries designed and assembled by EADS SPACE in Toulouse, France. Saft’s VES140S cells are qualified by both ESA (European Space Agency) and CNES (Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales) for all satellite applications.