The world’s first 'smartphone-sat' STRaND-1 is ready to launch at the end of February
The satellite was built in Guildford by volunteers from the Surrey Space Centre (SSC) and Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) in their spare time. It is planned to be launched on February 25 into a 785 km orbit by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on the PSLV-CA (PSLV-C20) rocket.

The innovative STRaND-1 CubeSat will carry a Google Nexus One Android smartphone into space to demonstrate the feasibility of using cheap smartphone electronics to control a spacecraft.

Smartphones contain highly advanced technologies and incorporate several key features that are integral to a satellite – such as cameras, radio links, accelerometers and high performance computer processors – almost everything a spacecraft needs except the solar panels and propulsion.

A software-based speech synthesiser will be included to pay homage to the UOSAT family of amateur radio satellites (OSCAR 9 and 11) that were launched in the 1980's. There will be an amateur radio AX.25 packet radio downlink on 437.575 MHz using data rates of 9k6 or 19k2 bps.

See the STRaND-1 videos and further information - http://www.uk.amsat.org/?p=12196

Read the BBC News story - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21361204

Dr Chris Bridges talked about STRaND-1 on the BBC Radio 4 show Material World broadcast on Thursday 7 February . A recording can be heard until 14 February 2013 - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01qfj3l The STRaND-1 segment starts 08:55 into the recording.

The world’s first smartphone in Space ‘STRaND-1’ ready for launch - http://www.sstl.co.uk/News-and-Events?story=2117

STRaND-1 on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/nanosats

AMSAT-UK - http://www.amsat-uk.org/