Batteries for Satellites Constellation, using Lean Manufacturing for Space Industry

"The space revolution is being led by more than Musk and Bezos". Backstage, aerospace leaders and their suppliers already work on design to cost engineering using automatized processes and working to qualify COTS within Lean manufacturing method. In 2014, CEA did propose the use of Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) 18650 Li-ion cells to manufacture competitive aerospace batteries (without modifications for space use managing space qualification at system level) and in 2015 the use of Lean 6 sigma manufacturing approach based on its automotive/terrestrial industry experience to respond new space requirements. Our development phase continuously challenged Design to Cost & Design to Industrialization (Series Manufacturing). As a result, the battery product integrates COTS 18650 Li-ion cells and hardware. Its price breakdown targeted for competitive product industrialization is reached under space qualification. Manufactured within an Iso 8 clean room for space use, a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) manages its industrial quality. Our tool, sized for fast prototyping and transfer towards industry, eases demonstration to industrialization maturity assessments (time & cost to market). We built a battery assembly line from scratch to operation in 8 months and, following an ISO10005 completed with EN9100 quality plan, we space qualified its processes in 15 months, product ready for launch within 24 months. First flight models integrate OneWeb constellation satellites set for launch Feb. 2019. By now, recurring products for space applications are continuously running through standards processes. CEA demonstrated its industry-oriented results with a highly agile battery assembly line transfer, proving shorten assembly times with means to analyze factory performance and process improvements under space standards. Manufacturing data under the production method necessary to manufacture high-performance batteries to power satellites constellation are discussed in this paper. This approach is applicable for other space equipment.