Smartphone set for space

Scientists in Surrey have been developing a nanosatellite on a shoestring budget – their smartphone-controlled satellite will be launched next year. Researchers from the Surrey Space Centre and engineers at Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) are proving that off-the-shelf technology could be launched into space and used to take pictures of the Earth.

“The smartphone industry has already spent billions on these and we are trying to leverage some of that newer technology for our satellites,” said lead researcher Dr Christopher Bridges. “If we leverage this technology, a) can it work? and b) can it help reduce the size and cost of our satellites?”

STRaND-1 – Surrey Training, Research and Nanosatellite Demonstrator – is due for launch in 2012, but has been undergoing ground testing to check the electronic for all eventualities in space.

“In space we don’t have any air, we can’t push the heat away, so we have to think about the electronics at they get very hot and cold,” said Bridges. “We are really trying to test the limits. If they are as robust as we think they are – people drop the, leave them on their dashboards in the sun – surely they can work in space? That’s the harshest environment we know.”

Once the satellite – which measures just 34 X 10 X 10 cm2 and weighs 4kg – is launched, it will be used to photograph the Earth. The group will also explore what they can do with groups of these nanosatellites.

“Having one measurement is good,” said Bridges. “But if you have more than one measurement, we have stereovision, we can sense distance better and the data becomes more reliable.”