LG Chem to supply batteries for NASA’s space suits

By Chung Wook, Maeil Business News Korea South Korea’s chemical and battery firm LG Chem is set to supply its batteries to the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the company said on Sunday. It became the first Korean supplier for NASA and made its footprint in the outer space realm. The batteries to be supplied to NASA will power the crucial devices for oxygen supply, communication, and radiation detection in the space suits, the company said. Image courtesy of Pulse/Maeil Business News Korea The company’s lithium-ion batteries will replace silver-zinc batteries typically used in aerospace equipment and supplied dominantly by Japanese companies such as GS Yuasa Corp. NASA opted lithium-ion battery cells as they have become cheaper and have longer life than silver-zinc ones. “We have passed NASA’s safety tests by recording better scores than any other rivals, proving our technological prowess in developing high-performing and safe devices,” [...]