GS Yuasa Corporation (Tokyo Stock Exchange: 6674; “GS Yuasa”) announced that high-performance lithium-ion batteries manufactured by group company GS Yuasa Technology Ltd. (“GYT”) have been installed in the X-ray astronomy satellite ASTRO-H, satellite integration of which was implemented by NEC Corporation (Tokyo Stock Exchange:6701; “NEC”). The satellite is to be launched by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (“JAXA”) on February 12, 2016 from the Tanegashima Space Center.
The batteries installed in ASTRO-H are the JMG100 (100Ah), which are lithium-ion batteries for use in space. These batteries were developed based on GYT’s product technology and have been registered as JAXA component as the development was commissioned by JAXA’s Research and Development Directorate.
JAXA component registration refers to the system where JAXA’s Research and Development Directorate develops the installed components and devices for common use in its artificial satellites, and registers and discloses them in JAXA’s database. So far, GYT’s JMG050 (50Ah), JMG100 and JMG150 (150Ah) have been registered in the database and has been expanding the lineup further.
X-ray astronomy satellite ASTRO-H is a flagship mission of X-ray astronomy, development of which is being carried out by universities and research institutions from Japan and abroad led by JAXA and NASA. The ASTRO-H is equipped with four new observation systems developed in international cooperation, with the aim of solving the mystery of how the universe evolved into its current shape by measuring the movement of the hot gases swirling in the galaxy clusters, which can be measured only with X-rays, and the hitherto unmeasured huge black holes buried deeply in the dust and gases in the center of the galaxy.
GYT develops, manufactures and distributes batteries and power sources for special applications and has been supplying high-performance, high-quality batteries for special environments of sea, land and air (from depths of 6,500 meters below the ocean surface to 36,000 kilometers high in space).
The GS Yuasa Group will continue to contribute to space development projects through the development and manufacturing of high performance lithium-ion batteries going forward.
| Component code | JMG100 |
|---|---|
| Nominal voltage (V) | 3.7 |
| Capacity (Ah) | 100 |
| External dimensions (W×D×H) (mm) | W130 × D50 × H208 |
| Mass (g) | 2,800 |
■X-ray astronomy satellite ASTRO-H (CG Image, courtesy: JAXA)
■Lithium-ion batteries for use in space registered as JAXA component - JMG050 (left) and JMG100 (right, installed in ASTRO-H)
