The Surrey Training, Research and Nanosatellite Demonstrator (Strand-1) is scheduled to go into orbit around the Earth with a £300 smartphone payload, Guildford-based Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) announced on Monday. The project is designed to show off the capabilities of a satellite built using commercial, off-the-shelf components.
"If a smartphone can be proved to work in space, it opens up lots of new technologies to a multitude of people and companies for space who usually can't afford it," Strand-1 lead researcher Chris Bridges said in a statement.
According to Bridges, smartphones contain components — such as sensors, GPS systems and Wi-Fi radios — that are technologically advanced but smaller, lighter and cheaper than those typically used in satellite systems.
The Strand-1 project, expected to cost around £250,000 including launch costs, has been funded equally by the University of Surrey and SSTL, Bridges told ZDNet UK. So far, the partners have spent about £30,000-£40,000 on the satellite hardware itself, with an additional £20,000 on labour and environmental testing costs, he said.
Read more : zdnet.co.uk
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