[Satnews] Saft has been awarded a Long Term Agreement (LTA) with The Boeing Company (Boeing) to supply lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries for the latter's telecommunication satellites.

The five-year agreement, executed in follow-up to a 2009 LTA, allows Saft to provide a steady and reliable supply of Li-ion batteries to meet the rigorous demands of the space environment, powering Boeing’s satellites when solar rays are blocked by the earth and supporting the entire geosynchronous orbit (GEO) mission duration. Additionally, the lightweight Boeing battery design using Saft’s Li-ion cells allows for a lighter overall satellite, resulting in significant launch cost savings for Boeing and other spacecraft manufacturers.

With more than 50 years of experience in the space market, Saft’s Li-ion technology and solutions have long been used to withstand extremely demanding missions with GEO and MEO global positioning satellites, and to support specific applications such as high power telecommunications to observation and defense LEO satellites.

Executive Comment

“Saft’s continued relationship with Boeing further validates our proven history and heritage in the space and GEO markets, which now includes more than 145 satellites that have been powered by Saft advanced Li-ion technology solutions,” said Thomas Alcide, President of Saft America, Inc. and General Manager of Saft’s Specialty Battery Group. “We look forward to extending vendor status with Boeing and are excited about the opportunity to grow our reputation as a leading manufacturer of satellite batteries.”