ABSL Powers NASA's THEMIS Mission

ABSL Space Products Li-ion space batteries have powered five more successful NASA spacecraft launches. In February, a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket successfully placed five satellites in the Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions Substorms (THEMIS) constellation into highly elliptical orbits.

THEMIS will provide answers to critical questions about the origin and phenomenology of solar and Earth magnetosphere interaction, the resultant electrical substorms, effects on space weather, disruptions in ground power grids, and communications. These affect the operation of other space satellites and the lives of humans in the sub-aurora regions on Earth.

The THEMIS batteries will interface directly with each satellite's electrical power and distribution subsystem to assess the health and safety of a lithium-ion battery during ground testing and on-orbit operations.

ABSL of Thurso, Caithness, U.K., has powered 25 spacecraft and has contracts for more than 70 satellites and launch vehicles. Batteries have ranged in size from less than 1kg to over 150Ah with even larger hardware awaiting launch. ABSL Li-ion has over 3,800 cell years of space operation without failure and has received contracts from five separate NASA field centers.