LG Chem to Supply Batteries for NASA Space Suits

LG Chem will supply rechargeable batteries for the space suits of U.S. astronauts. The company said Sunday that it has been chosen by NASA as a lithium-ion battery supplier.

The batteries ensure that oxygen tanks, communications equipment and radiation sensors in a space suit operate properly.

NASA has so far used Japanese silver-zinc or U.S. lithium-ion batteries.

But rising silver prices have made silver-zinc batteries more expensive, and their battery life is shorter than that of lithium-ion batteries.

An LG Chem staffer said, "NASA tested the safety of our products that are already on the market, and they received high scores".

The batteries will be used in space suits aboard the International Space Station and Mars explorer Orion.

The deal has enabled LG to expand its business area from electric vehicles, hybrid ships and unmanned aerial vehicles into space. It already supplies rechargeable batteries to Hyundai and Kia as well as GM, Ford, Chrysler and Chinese carmakers.

Last year LG won a contract to supply rechargeable batteries to an environmentally friendly vessel run by Norwegian shipping company Eidesvik. And in May it was chosen as a battery supplier for a drone being developed by Xiaomi.