Saft has received a multi-million dollar order from The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] to deliver high-performance lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries for the first order for Boeing’s 702B series satellite, a medium-level power satellite with six to 12kW of on-board power. The order is the first under Saft’s five-year long-term agreement with Boeing, announced last year.
The VES140 batteries will power four geostationary satellites for Intelsat S.A., the world’s leading provider of fixed satellite services, that will offer C- and Ku-band capacity optimized to distribute video, network and voice services from Asia and Africa to the Americas and Europe.
“Saft is pleased to begin filling the first order against this major contract with Boeing,” says Thomas Alcide, general manager of Saft’s Specialty Battery Group. “This is our second order from Boeing for a Li-ion satellite using Saft VES140 cells, and we look forward to supporting additional programs during the next five years.”
Saft designed the VES140 140 Ah Li-ion cells to offer a low-weight, on-board source of power for the satellites’ critical systems. With up to 18 years of battery life, the rechargeable Li-ion cells will ensure continuous, reliable operation of the satellites at times when the solar panels are in eclipse, which is two 45-day periods per year in GEO orbit.