ESA selects Skeleton Technologies' ultracapacitor for space mission

Originally developed by Estonian start-up Skeleton Technologies for use in the motor industry, the market-leading technology is 60 times lighter and 30 times more efficient than the lithium ion batteries it will replace, considerably reducing the amount of weight and room required for energy storage on a space vehicle. Although batteries can store more energy than ultracapacitors, they are slow to charge and discharge, and lose 30 per cent of their energy through heat alone. They also require frequent replacement.

Such an energy storage system is required by spacecraft and satellites to provide surges of power when required. Energy from the sun is harvested using solar cells and is stored for when the vehicle moves to the dark side of a planetary object, away from the sun, where the power is used for tasks such as adjusting antennae and moving solar arrays.

Skeleton Technologies’ system uses patented nanoporous carbide-derived carbon (CDC), also known as curved graphene. They have also developed a proprietary method for preparing the ultra capacitors.