Lithion Inc. Applications
Serving Space, Air, Land and Sea Power Requirements

Mars Exploratory Rover (MER) Battery Development Program

This program with NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) featured the design, development, qualification, production and delivery of two 28 volt 10 Ah Li-ion Rechargeable Battery Assembly Units (RBAUs) per vehicle. The MER-A “Spirit” launched on Jun 10, 2003 and MER-B “Opportunity” launched on Jul 7, 2003.  Both vehicles are successfully operating on Mars.
 

B-2 Aircraft Battery Development Program

Comprehensive program to develop, qualify and produce a high performance 55Ah, 24V lithium-ion battery with battery management system compatible with the existing NiCd battery charger. This drop in replacement is the first ever application of a lithium-ion system on an aircraft. Yardney is working for Northrop Grumman—the prime contractor to the Air Force.   The batteries have over 400 hours of flight time on the B-2.
 

Lithium-ion Battery Development Program

Ongoing since 1998, this USAF and NASA sponsored program is for the development, over a six year period, of lithium ion cells and batteries for a total of ten different space, satellite and aircraft applications requiring cell capacities of 5 to 200Ah and voltages of 14 to 270 Volts. Specifics include the development of electrolytes for very low and high temperature performance (-40° C to +80° C), high rates of charge and discharge, high specific energies and a long calendar/cycle life.  This program expedites battery development for the Dept of Defense’s JSF, UAV and Military Spaceplane programs.