GS Yuasa space-qualified lithium-ion batteries are powering the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft following its launch from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center on 20 October 2026.
Led by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) alongside European and American space agencies, the MMX mission aims to gather surface samples from Mars’ moons, Phobos and Deimos, and return them to Earth.
The electrical power architecture incorporates custom lithium-ion batteries manufactured by GS Yuasa Technology Ltd., a division of the GS Yuasa Group. The battery units are engineered to maintain power supply during orbital shadow periods when onboard solar arrays cannot generate electricity.
The batteries must operate autonomously without maintenance across the planned mission duration, which runs through to 2031.