Battery manufacturer Saft will provide Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems with lithium-ion (Li-ion) satellite batteries for the upcoming, Boeing-built Mexsat-1 and Mexsat-2 satellites.

   The new order is the third contract issued under Saft’s existing long-term Li-ion GEO satellite battery supply agreement, which it signed with Boeing in 2009.

Saft will provide its high-energy qualified VES140S battery cells for the Mexsat satellites. The battery packs aim to power the satellites with 14 kilowatts of onboard power during its bi-annual, 45-day-long eclipse periods in GEO orbit.

   Boeing is building and designing the Mexsat communications system to provide mobile L-band government and civilian broadband communications, while supporting humanitarian needs and enhanced coverage for domestic communications in Mexico. The system will consist of two Boeing 702 HP GEO satellites, Mexsat-1 and -2, and one FSS satellite, Mexsat-3, which was subcontracted out to Orbital Sciences Corp.