Saft Batteries

Saft Batteries (Saft Groupe S.A.) is a Poitiers, France-headquartered battery manufacturer founded in 1918 and a TotalEnergies subsidiary since 2011, recognized as the world leader in space-grade and defense lithium-ion batteries — supplying the energy storage systems that power satellites through Earth's shadow when solar panels generate no electricity and provide backup power for critical satellite bus functions.

Saft's space battery heritage is unmatched in Europe: batteries aboard more than 380 satellites currently in orbit use Saft cells or battery assemblies — including the full Galileo European GNSS constellation (24+ operational navigation satellites), Meteosat geostationary weather satellites operated by EUMETSAT, the SPOT series of Earth observation satellites (CNES), Arabsat communications satellites, and numerous classified government programs. This fleet representation means Saft's reliability record is the de facto standard against which competing space battery suppliers are measured.

The core product is the VL (Very Long Life) series of space lithium-ion cells: standardized 25Ah-65Ah cylindrical or prismatic format cells engineered specifically for geosynchronous orbit (GEO) satellite applications — where the battery undergoes approximately 90 deep discharge cycles per year during eclipse seasons (twice yearly, each lasting up to 72 minutes) over a 15-year+ satellite operational lifetime. VL cells are manufactured at Saft's Bordeaux and Poitiers facilities under ECSS (European Cooperation for Space Standardization) qualification, with performance verified by ESA-certified testing.

For LEO constellations experiencing 16 charge/discharge cycles per day (5,840/year), Saft supplies shallow-cycle optimized cells designed for 80,000+ cycle life at partial depth of discharge. Defense applications extend to primary lithium batteries for missiles, torpedoes, submarine electronics, and soldier power systems — the same chemistries (Li-SO₂, Li-SOCl₂) that underpin long-shelf-life military readiness requirements. US manufacturing is conducted at Saft's Maryland facility serving ITAR-restricted DoD satellite customers (GPS, WGS, SBIRS programs).

TotalEnergies' 2011 acquisition for approximately €950 million provided Saft with capital to invest in next-generation solid-state battery research aligned with TotalEnergies' decarbonization strategy. Primary competitors include EaglePicher Technologies (Joplin MO, primary US competitor for DoD space batteries) and GS Yuasa (Japan, NiH₂ and Li-ion batteries for JAXA missions).