Press Release

OHB-System AG Selects EaglePicher Nickel-Hydrogen Spacecraft Battery for SAR-Lupe Reconnaissance Satellite System

By SpaceRef Editor
December 15, 2004
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The Defense and Space Power Division of EaglePicher Technologies, LLC announced that its nickel-hydrogen (NiH2) Single Pressure Vessel (SPV) battery has been selected by Bremen-based space technology company OHB-System AG to power SAR-Lupe, the future German satellite system for radar image reconnaissance. The order was received by German-based Diehl & Eagle Picher GmbH and is valued at EUR 2.7Mio ($3.6M US). The launch of the first of five satellites is planned for 2005 with a Russian launcher; the overall system will be completed in 2007 to deliver radar images for the German Federal Armed Forces until 2015.

With a proven 12-year life span in space, the EaglePicher type SAR 10065 SPV battery operates at 28 volts and is rated at a capacity of 50 Ampere hours. OHB-System AG selected EaglePicher’s nickel-hydrogen battery for its rigorous quality specifications and proven performance in space.

“The SAR-Lupe satellite system will provide Germany with a key national capability for crisis prevention, collection of intelligence information and support for deployed forces,” said OHB Project Manager Dr. Ingo Engeln. “The selection of EaglePicher’s nickel-hydrogen batteries for this mission-critical reconnaissance system is a testimony to the technological superiority, proven capability and quality of EaglePicher’s solutions.”

EaglePicher has developed, manufactured and tested nickel-hydrogen spacecraft cells and batteries for nearly 30 years. Nickel-hydrogen cells in orbit to date total more than 14,000 and provide energy storage and eclipse power for over 400 satellites. EaglePicher expects to reach one billion cell hours in the fall of 2006.

“EaglePicher is delighted that its spacecraft battery technology has been selected to power a system that provides indispensable information to the German Armed Forces,” said Lou Lupo, vice president and general manager, EaglePicher Defense and Space Power. “The SAR 10065 SPV nickel-hydrogen battery is a key offering in EaglePicher’s broad range of power systems designed for the most rigorous applications.”

EaglePicher is the world’s leading supplier of nickel-hydrogen cell and battery technology for spacecraft power telecommunications, direct broadcast systems, Earth imaging satellites, scientific platforms, deep space probes and military and global positioning system satellites. EaglePicher is also a diversified manufacturer of power storage systems for many other applications.

For more information about EaglePicher products, access www.eaglepicher.com .

EaglePicher Technologies, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of EaglePicher Incorporated, has facilities in Arizona, Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas and Canada. The operating group develops and markets advanced high-reliability power systems and associated electronics for government, space and commercial applications. It also processes Boron isotopes and anticancer pharmaceutical ingredients. Areas of global focus include telecommunications, medical, nuclear power plants, space, defense, environmental, semiconductors and pharmaceutical/biotech. Additional information is available on the Internet at www.eaglepicher.com .

EaglePicher Incorporated, founded in 1843 and headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, is a diversified manufacturer and marketer of innovative, advanced technology and industrial products and services for space, defense, environmental, automotive, medical, filtration, pharmaceutical, nuclear power, semiconductor and commercial applications worldwide. The company has 3,900 employees and operates more than 30 plants in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Germany. Additional information on the company is available on the Internet at www.eaglepicher.com .

This release contains statements which, to the extent that they are not recitations of historical fact, constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These include any statements about future business operations, financial performance or market conditions. Such forward-looking information involves risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. These risks and uncertainties are discussed in EaglePicher Holdings’ filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

EaglePicher(TM) is a trademark of EaglePicher Incorporated.

SpaceRef staff editor.