Status and Prospect of Secondary Battery Technologies in Space Applications: Challenges and the Future

Electrochemical energy storage technologies (such as batteries and fuel cells) are vital for powering space devices. There has been tremendous progress in developing various batteries to meet different power demands in both stationary and transporation applications. From rovers to space suits, batteries are ubiquitous in space missions. Space applications however expose batteries to extreme environments which can cause capacity degradation. This review, discusses a range of secondary batteries including traditionally Ag‐Zn/Ni‐based batteries to lithium‐ion batteries and their use applications for space. The battery degradation mechanisms related to electrodes and electrolytes are examined via the lens of: (1) pressure, (2) radiation, (3) gravity, (4) magnetic field, (5) low temperature, and (6) high temperature. Recent improvements that tackle those challenges which are feasible for space applications are discussed. Based on the analysis of external operating environments and literature, we compared different secondary battery technologies’ properties and their resistances to those external environments and offered perspectives on the road forward.