Applications of supercapacitors in space vehicles and interplanetary devices

Official URL: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-819723-3.00019-6

Supercapacitors are one of the crucial elements of space vehicles and interplanetary devices. Due to their superior power density and extremely long cycle life, they become also alternative for batteries. However, their energy density is still far too low compared to batteries, and has to be improved. In this contribution, three main space related supercapacitor aspects have been discussed. These are energy storage in space, supercapacitor electrode materials for space applications, and finally natural meteorites for supercapacitor applications. The requirements of supercapacitors for some various space applications have also been given. This topic has recently been revisited experimentally. We emphasize that there is still plenty of room for improvements and potential discoveries related to supercapacitors in space-related applications.