Design and performance of Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Super Ni-Cd batteries

The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) is a joint mission between NASA and the National Space Development Agency (NASDA) of Japan. The observatory is designed to monitor and study tropical rainfall and the associated release of energy that helps to power the global atmospheric circulation shaping both weather and climate around the globe. The spacecraft was launched from Japan on November 27, 1997 via the NASDA H-II launch vehicle. The TRMM power subsystem is a peak power tracking system that can support the maximum TRMM load of 815 watts at the end of its three year life. The power subsystem consists of two 50 Ampere hour Super Ni-Cd batteries, gallium arsenide solar array and the power system electronics. This paper describes the TRMM power subsystem, battery design, cell and battery ground test performance, and in-orbit battery operations and performance.