Beyond Earth: A Detailed Look at the Space Battery Market

10,000+ satellites are strolling in space, assisting humans on Earth in myriad ways. However, a satellite is assisted by an enclosure of millions of drifting ions, fondly called a ‘battery’. From three silver-zinc batteries powering Sputnik 1 in 1957 to 24 lithium-ion batteries weighing 11,000+ pounds powering the International Space Station today, batteries have been and will continue to be essential in all space missions.

In this article, we’ll have a comprehensive walkthrough of the current state of the space battery market and also explore the possibilities for the future.

Battery: Why and Where?

In the ruthless environment of space, with vacuum and cruel temperature fluctuations, not to forget the fierce vibrations during the launch, batteries power some of humanity’s greatest achievements. For any space mission, a primary power source along with a robust energy storage system (the battery) is required to enable uninterrupted power delivery during the entire course of the mission, even when the sun is out of sight. Maintaining a robust power delivery system is so essential that, on average, nearly 28% of the mission budget is spent on primary energy acquisition and secondary storage systems.

Batteries find their application in nearly everything in a space mission, from satellites, spacecraft, launch vehicles, landers, and rovers to equipment like spacesuits. Talking about satellites, batteries have a critical role to play. Most satellites are equipped with rechargeable batteries, charged by solar cells that convert the sun's energy into electricity. Specifically, batteries power the satellites before their solar panels are deployed and during the satellite’s eclipse phase when solar energy is unavailable.This allows satellites to remain operational for extended periods (an average satellite can function for around 15 years without any technical intervention).

For example, the Hubble Space Telescope launched in 1990, powered by six 88-amp-hour nickel-hydrogen batteries and two solar arrays, is still operational and is expected to stay operational till 2035. With satellites accounting for close to 70% of the space battery market, they represent the largest application in this field.

Following satellites, the second most significant application of space batteries is in launch vehicles, which depend on these energy sources to power systems such as guidance control, telemetry, and communication during flight. Unlike satellites, launch vehicles aren’t equipped with rechargeable batteries, as their job is finished within minutes to a few hours. Despite this short operational timeframe, primary batteries fulfil the intense power requirements of launch vehicles and make up close to 25% of the space battery market.

Beyond satellites and launch vehicles, batteries are vital for miscellaneous other applications, such as powering landers and rovers. The rovers rely on batteries for communication and mobility as they explore extreme environments, often far from sunlight. For instance, NASA’s famous Perseverance rover housed two rechargeable lithium-ion batteries manufactured by EaglePicher. Additionally, batteries are used in astronaut equipment, such as cameras, laptops, and life-saving spacesuits (for example, Li-ion batteries used in NASA’s EVA suits to power the liquid cooling system, microphones, speakers, etc.), all of which ought to function reliably under extreme conditions.

Lithium-Ion: The Star of Space Missions

The space environment presents multiple obstacles for battery design—temperatures can fall to freezing lows or climb to gruelling highs, and the vacuum of space provides no radiation protection. Batteries used in these applications must not only resist harsh circumstances but also adhere to strict weight and size constraints to maximise efficiency for each trip.

Silver-zinc, nickel-cadmium, nickel-hydrogen, and lithium-ion batteries are some of the well-known battery types in the space exploration industry. While Sputnik-1, the first ever satellite launched back in 1957, relied on three zinc-silver batteries to power its radio transmitters, 70% of the space battery market is captured by lithium-ion batteries today. The popularity of lithium-ion batteries stems from their high energy density (more than double that of nickel-based batteries) and lightweight nature (weighs almost half as much as their nickel-based counterparts). Interestingly, the number of batteries was reduced by half with a significant weight reduction when NASA replaced the nickel-hydrogen batteries with lithium-ion batteries in the International Space Station between 2017 and 2021.

Nickel-based batteries hold second place in the space battery market. While these batteries do not match the energy density of lithium-ion batteries, they are advantageous in terms of cycle life (>50,000 cycles at 30% depth of discharge) and are also cheaper than lithium-ion batteries. This makes them ideal for missions where a long-term, inexpensive solution is needed. Hence, these batteries hold around 9% of the market share.

Apart from the conventional batteries, several innovative initiatives by private and public entities are emerging. For instance, City Labs (a Florida-based company) developed a tritium battery based on the slow decay of tritium (a beta-emitting isotope) designed to power low-energy microelectronics for around 20 years without the need for recharging. This technology can prove to be a boon for deep-space exploration probes operating far from the sun or small satellites without solar panels.

Moreover, the industry is also looking at NASA’s solid-state sulfur-selenium battery, which relies on solid materials, unlike traditional batteries with liquid electrolytes. This eliminates the risks of overheating, fire, or the loss of charge over time—common concerns in space applications. Furthermore, the solid-state design offers significant performance advantages. The initial tests of the battery exceeded NASA’s expectations and turned out to be 30–40% lighter and could store up to three times more energy than current lithium-ion batteries, making it a breakthrough for space missions.

The Space Battery Show: Powered by Satellites and Beyond

The space battery market is expected to see significant growth driven by factors, the greatest of which is the increasing number of satellites. By June 2024, there were 10,019 active satellites (according to Look Up Space), a massive leap from 5500 in 2022. Furthermore, EuroConsult estimates that an average of 2,800 satellites will be launched annually until 2032. This skyrocketing trend in satellites is poised to bring business to the space battery market. Moreover, the overall space economy has seen tremendous growth, from USD 304 billion in 2013 to USD 570 billion in 2023 (according to the Space Foundation).

As satellite launches and the global space economy continue to thrive, clubbed with innovations and the advent of new technologies, the future of the space battery market appears optimistic. The total space battery market stood at USD 122 million in 2023 and is expected to hit USD 127 million in 2024. Moreover, the market is expected to hit USD 143 million by 2027, growing with a healthy CAGR of 4.1%.

Authored by Stratview Research, and published on Battery Technology Online.