Development Trends of Battery Technologies and Electrical-driven System for Aerospace Missions (PART 2: Battery Utilization in Electrical-driven System for Space Missions)

In recent years, the energy performance of lithium based batteries has greatly improved, and its applications in space mission have further expanded. In a space mission, abnormal operation of battery system can directly lead to the mission failure, so a practical configuration for the space power system is required, taking into account the space environment and purpose. Unlike a satellite mission that uses secondary batteries, a space exploration mission selects the battery type according to the planetary environments and purpose of the mission. Even if the same mission is performed, the battery type is selected depending on the operating time and whether it can recharged by solar energy. Furthermore, as the energy performance of lithium based batteries has improved, their field of application has further expanded to include electrical-driven space propulsion systems. In addition, when applied to a space exploration engine, additional considerations for the battery system are suggested due to its relatively long operating time with a high-output power supply.