SE²A battery goes to space

With SE²A technology on board a SpaceX rocket was successfully launched into space, on 14^th January, to carry a satellite into orbit at an altitude of around 500 kilometres. This small satellite, called InnoCube, has innovative technology on board that could significantly influence future developments in this field:

The ‘Wall#E’ battery storage system was largely developed in the SE²A Cluster of Excellence. These structural battery composites consist of a special fibre composite structure that can store electrical energy and can also be used as the satellite's load-bearing structure. This type of battery makes it possible to significantly reduce the mass and volume of a satellite without compromising its performance. The technology was developed at the Institute of Space Systems and the Institute for Particle Technology (iPAT) as part of the project C2.2 Structural energy storage focusing on battery cells with load bearing properties in the SE²A Cluster of Excellence, in collaboration with TU Berlin. The wireless satellite infrastructure ‘Skith’ was contributed by the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg.

The four-kilogram satellite will now orbit earth for a year, providing valuable data and insights for the future, both for space travel and aviation. One possibility would be to use both technologies in airplanes to make them significantly lighter and more energy-efficient. Weight savings and energy-storing outer walls could contribute to electric flying.

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