British Satellites Will Beam Info Down From Space Using Android Smartphones [Space]

The communication components in smartphones and satellites aren’t all that different, except that satellite guts are better rated for external factors like temperature and impact. But one British aerospace firm wants to peer how well a smartphone fares in space .

Wired says that the University of Surrey and Surrey Satellite Technology Limited are working together to create a satellite, dubbed the STRAND-1, which uses the internals from a commercial Android smartphone to address all of the communication and control functions&em;namely transmitting photos of Earth while it’s in orbit.

The researchers are taken with the potential of using smartphone internals because they cost a fraction of what aerospace-grade components would cost. The satellite, that’s 11.8 inches long and weighs under 10 pounds, will initially have an on-board computer that monitors the smartphone components and ensure everything is functioning as it may. If all goes to plot, the satellite will go into orbit sometime this year. [ Wired ]

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This post is tagged: british aerospace, communication components, control functions, surrey satellite technology, surrey satellite technology limited, University of Surrey