Li-ion battery for space missions based on COTS cells: Mechanical analysis and design

Abstract

Space systems require technologies intended for power generation and management most of the time. Within the Electric Power Subsystem, one or a group of several batteries conform the secondary power source of a space mission. In this work, the initial design of a Li-ion battery for small spacecraft, based on Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) cells, is shown, the evolution of this design being thoroughly described from the first configuration. This battery has been sized to satisfy the power requirements of the UNION/Lian-Hé mission, the third Low Earth Orbit (LEO) microsatellite completely designed within an academic environment by the staff of Instituto Universitario de Microgravedad “Ignacio Da Riva” (IDR/UPM). Structural analyses of different battery configurations were carried out via Finite Element Method (FEM) modeling, in order to assure the viability of the design. The final configuration of the battery was reached based on these studies, which are described in the present work.