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Propulsion & Power

BYU team details mechanical battery for CubeSat

By SpaceEnergy 22 August 2026 1 min read

(SpaceEnergy) Brigham Young University researchers have detailed a mechanical battery designed to supplement spacecraft power systems during peak loads and recovery from long dormant periods.

The Phoenix proof-of-concept payload was developed by BYU Rocketry for a 3U CubeSat and competed in the 2026 Space Dynamics Laboratory Payload Challenge.

The researchers said the compliant-mechanism energy-storage system is intended to augment, rather than replace, a spacecraft’s primary electrical power system. It targets applications where conventional chemical batteries can suffer degradation during extreme thermal cycling or lose stored energy during lengthy dormant periods.

The concept also addresses short-duration peak-power requirements that radioisotope systems may not be able to supply at sufficient specific power.

Details of the Phoenix system were published for the Small Satellite Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. The conference material became available on 22 August ahead of its 24 August poster session.

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