Development and on-orbit operation of lithium-ion pouch battery for small scientific satellite “REIMEI”

Long Term Operability of Li-ion Battery under Micro-gravity Condition Demonstrated by the Satellite “REIMEI”

“…In the case of lithium-ion secondary cells, the tolerance against the radiation had been proved through the experiments. 8,9 Furthermore, the storage of the lithium-ion secondary cells in space was also experienced through the former exploration mission of Japan. [3][4][5] The important point we needed to know through the operation of REIMEI battery is the cycling performance with the tolerance against the microgravity and the vacuum condition in outer space.…”

“…Then, we reinforced the structure of the cell by using the battery case filled with the epoxy resin. 8,9 For the long term operation of the lithium-ion secondary cell, the gases should be produced due to the decomposition of the liquid electrolyte, which might cause the increase in the internal pressure of the cell. This kind of expansion could cause the loose contact between the electric solvent and the electrode.…”

“…2 The Japanese satellite "REIMEI" was also one of the first examples where the off-the-shelf lithium-ion secondary cells were used. [6][7][8][9] The main scientific mission of the satellite was the observation of aurora around the polar region using three cameras with different filters for the wave length of the aurora light. Today, 10 years has passed after the launch.…”

Internal Impedance of the Lithium-Ion Secondary Cells Used for Reimei Satellite after the Eleven Years Operation in Space

“…1. For the main bus battery, the off-the-shelf type lithiumion secondary cells were used for the REIMEI battery [4,5]. The specifications of the cell are listed in Tab.…”

“…The same technology was also applied to European planetary missions such as the satellite 'ROSETTA' and the 'MARS-EXPRESS' [1]. The Japanese satellite 'REIMEI' was also one of the examples where the off-the-shelf lithium-ion secondary cells were used [2][3][4][5][6]. The satellite was an engineering demonstrator for the advanced space technologies.…”