British engineers at Guildford-based Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) are planning to send a mobile smartphone into orbit on a satellite for the first time. The Surrey Training, Research and Nanosatellite Demonstrator (Strand-1) is scheduled to go into orbit later this year. 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, which has been funded by the University of Surrey and the SSTL, is expected to cost around £250,000 including launch costs. “The economic implications of this are really exciting,” mission concepts engineer Shaun Kenyon. “If these phones stand up to the extreme environments we see in space, it’s amazing to think we could eventually leverage low-cost mobile technology to use in satellite production.” “We want to see if smartphones can actually survive up there,” Kenyon said, “and we’ll be looking at how phone-specific sensors like accelerometers perform in space-flight conditions.”