Space power engineers here at the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Space Vehicles Directorate are pretty charged up over the success of battery tests performed recently aboard the space shuttle.
Tests this past November were the high point in a program to develop a
sodium-sulfur battery cell that is lighter, more durable, and more powerful
than current state-of-the-art nickel-hydrogen batteries that run many
spacecraft today, such as the Hubble Space Telescope.
Resembling a rolling pin in size and shape, the new battery cell weighs
half as much and generates nearly three times the specific power of
nickel-hydrogen technology, or 150 watt hours per kilogram of battery
weight. Moreover, sodium-sulfur costs half as much as nickel-hydrogen
and is more reliable due to simpler design.
According to program manager 1st Lt. Chuck Donet, “This is the first time
sodium-sulfur battery technology has performed in space, and we are
very pleased with the test results. This powerful battery cell exceeded our
expectations and its success proves that it is a clear choice for future
space missions.”
Because of its great power potential in a smaller package, a sodium-sulfur
battery may weigh several hundred pounds less than its nickel-hydrogen
equivalent. This fact translates into a meaningful cost savings given that
launch expenses per pound today average about $20,000.00.
Donet and his associates teamed with the Eagle Pitcher Company of
Joplin, Mo., the Naval Research Laboratory, and NASA to provide a new
generation of batteries to military and commercial spacecraft designers.
