Cerebral Energy Awarded Phase II SBIR By Space Development Agency (SDA) for Solid State Graphene Based Batteries

September 16, 2025 at 11:00 AM EDT

Cerebral Energy (cerebral.eco) announces it has been selected by Space Development Agency (SDA) for a Phase II SBIR follow-on contract in the amount of $2 million to support further development of a new graphene based secondary battery derived from recycled US waste streams. The technology was originally designed and prototyped by NASA scientists and is being commercialized by Cerebral Energy to support improved satellite power in SDA’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA). The novel graphene solid state battery architecture previously achieved over 500 W/h Kg energy density in lab prototypes. Cerebral’s graphene battery is over 3X more efficient than conventional lithium-ion batteries, much safer (no fire risk), up to 100X faster charging and has no supply chain challenges since the materials are derived from abundant US waste streams. Cerebral will be examining scalable additive manufacturing techniques for SDA in the Phase II project with additional support by AFWERX and AFRL.

The Air Force Research Laboratory and AFWERX have partnered to streamline the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) process by accelerating the small business experience through faster proposal to award timelines, changing the pool of potential applicants by expanding opportunities to small business and eliminating bureaucratic overhead by continually implementing process improvement changes in contract execution.

"We’re honored to be working with Space Development Agency on this leap ahead technology which will support space-based demands of our joint warfighter community while greatly improving the efficiency and safety of secondary batteries used in SDA’s PWSA,” said Eric Bentsen, Co-founder and CEO of Cerebral Energy.

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Air Force, Space Development Agency, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.

About Cerebral Energy

Cerebral is a Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business building next-generation American-made energy systems with advanced materials derived from US waste streams for the US Department of Defense and other federal agencies.

About Space Development Agency (SDA)

Recognized as the Department of Defense's constructive disruptor for space acquisition, the Space Development Agency (SDA) will quickly deliver needed space-based capabilities to the joint warfighter to support terrestrial missions through development, fielding, and operation of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture. SDA capitalizes on a unique business model that values speed and lowers costs by harnessing commercial development to achieve a proliferated architecture and enhance resilience. SDA will deliver a minimum viable product - on time, every two years- by employing spiral development methods, adding capabilities to future generations as the threat evolves.

About AFRL

The Air Force Research Laboratory is the primary scientific research and development center for the Department of the Air Force. AFRL plays an integral role in leading the discovery, development, and integration of affordable warfighting technologies for our air, space and cyberspace force. With a workforce of more than 12,500 across nine technology areas and 40 other operations across the globe, AFRL provides a diverse portfolio of science and technology ranging from fundamental to advanced research and technology development. For more information, visit afresearchlab.com.