A battery-modelling partnership between UK software specialist About:Energy and Australian satellite innovator MP Space is demonstrating how advanced virtual testing could accelerate next-generation battery design.
About:Energy used its cloud-based platform, The Voltt, to help MP Space select and validate battery cells for use in harsh satellite environments.
The software enabled engineers to benchmark dozens of high-performance chemistries, test real-world duty cycles virtually and assess long-term degradation – all without lengthy physical test programmes.
The approach helped MP Space avoid a potential six-month redesign and reduced the technical risk associated with battery system development.
Although applied to aerospace in this instance, the underlying technology directly supports challenges faced across the automotive sector.
As EV manufacturers push for higher energy density, longer lifetimes and lower development costs, virtual cell modelling offers a route to faster iteration, fewer prototype cycles and improved confidence in performance before hardware is built.
Dr Gavin White, co-founder and CEO of About:Energy, said: “MP Space builds satellite energy systems, where reliability and precision are vital.
“Using The Voltt’s validated data and virtual testing, its engineers accelerate development, reduce risk, and strengthen confidence in mission-critical systems.
“With payloads worth tens of millions and designed to last full missions, satellites are often over-engineered and expensive.
“MP Space changes this through smarter engineering, using simulation and high-fidelity cell data to reduce development time and lower space power system costs.”
Jay Manley, CEO and co-founder of MP Space, added: “Access to About:Energy’s extensive expertise, robust datasheets and high-quality data platform meant we could make evidence-based design decisions that would normally require months of in-house testing.
“We avoided unnecessary prototype cycles, reduced risk, and freed up our engineering team’s time – all coming together to keep our programme moving at startup speed.”
With automotive battery development facing similar pressures – from tighter sustainability regulations to growing consumer expectations around range and durability – the rise of evidence-based digital validation is expected to play an increasing role in how future EV powertrains are engineered.
