39090 - STRAND 1

STRaND-1 is a 30cm cubesat weighing 3.5kg. At the heart of the satellite is a Google Nexus One smartphone with an Android operating system. Smartphones are highly advanced and incorporate several key features that are integral to a satellite such as cameras, radio links, accelerometers and high performance computer processors - almost everything except solar panels and propulsion. During the first phase of the mission, STRaND-1 will use a number a number of experimental Apps to collect data while a new high-speed linux-based cubesat computer developed by SSC takes care of the satellite. During phase two, the STRaND team hope to switch the satellite's in-orbit operations to the smartphone, thereby testing the capabilities of a number of standard smartphone components for a space environment.

Also carries WARP DRiVE (Water Alcohol Resistojet Propulsion Deorbit Re-entry Velocity Experiment) and electric Pulsed Plasma Thrusters (PPTs) intended to deorbit the satellite at the end of its useful lifetime. It ceased to operate 2013 March before the Smartphone could be activated.

Facts in Brief

Launch Date: 25 February 2013 12.31 UTC
Launch Site: Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, India
Launcher: Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV C-20)
Orbit: 785km sun-synchronous