An unknown Google Android smartphone is going to be blasted into space by British scientists of Guildford’s Surrey Satellite Technology Limited, this is going to be an experiment that will test how mobile phones can cope in outer space.

The smartphone is not only being blasted into space it will actually control a satellite, the mission is known as ‘STRaND-1, now this is all good but why the Android phone?

In a way it is not a as such of you send just one phone into space, what about bringing in other players like the Apple iPhone that is so widely adopted. The phone is being sent to space because scientist want to see if the sophisticated capabilities within smartphones will function in the most challenging environment known so it stands to reason to test more than one phone, why the Android choice?

Anyway, the ‘STRaND-1’ nano-satellite is what the smartphone will be controlling and is fitted with a GPS receiver and ‘pulse plasma thrusters’ and weighs only 4kg.

If you like the above news you may want to check out the Google Nexus S space flight video, well sort of into space because it was attached to balloons and reached a height of 20 miles. Check out the video here.

Source — BBC News via TNW