Exide Technologies (Princeton, NJ) has signed a multi-year $2.4-million contract with NASA (Washington, DC) to supply specialty batteries for the X-38, a prototype of the future emergency crew return vehicle for the International Space Station.
Exide will design and produce four battery modules that will power all critical onboard operations on the X-38, including computer and environmental control systems, for as long as seven hours. Each module consists of 144 lithium-manganese-dioxide cells, each rated at 33A and weighing 92kg. The modules, which will be manufactured at Exide's facility in Duisburg, Germany, will deliver 13.3kWh per flight. The X-38 agreement is Exide's first direct-development with NASA.
"As a qualified NASA supplier, Exide Technologies is required to fulfill the high quality and safety requirements imposed by NASA standards," commented Dr. Foad Derisavi-Fard, Exide's project manager for the X-38 contract. "NASA's acceptance of the lithium-manganese-dioxide chemistry validates its superior performance, safety and environmental advantages."
