Smart phone in space project up for national award
Wednesday 31 August 2011
Space technology experts have been nominated for a prestigious national award for the Outstanding Engineering Research Team of the Year for their smart phone-powered satellite project due to launch into space next year.
The STRaND-1 (Surrey Training, Research and Nanosatellite Demonstrator) weighs just 4kg and is being built to test innovative ideas for lower cost space missions.
It is a collaborative effort between researchers at the Surrey Space Centre (SSC) at the University of Surrey and engineers at Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL).
Now the project has been short-listed for a national award by the Times Higher Education magazine and it will compete against the best in engineering research in the country. The winners will be announced in November.
Dr Chris Bridges, based at SSC, said: “Making the shortlist is testament to all the hard work put in by everyone here and at SSTL. The diverse range of skills required to build a satellite has brought together motivated engineers and researchers alike to contribute to something really new and novel that could change the way we design spacecraft in coming years.”
STRaND-1 System Engineer Shaun Kenyon at SSTL, commented: “The nomination is recognition that what we're doing here is truly special. It's not just anyone who can say they're building a satellite in their free time, and with so much innovative technology packed in to STRaND-1, the team can be proud of everything we've achieved so far and we haven't even launched yet."
A powerful computer built at the Surrey Space Centre will test the vital statistics of the smart phone once it is in space. Images and messages from the phone will be sent back to Earth via a radio system and then, once all the tests are complete, the micro computer will be switched off and the smartphone will be used to operate parts of the satellite.
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Notes to Editors:
About SSTL:
SSTL has been delivering small satellite missions for over 25 years - longer than anyone else in the world and has gained the experience to justify its reputation as the world's premier provider of operational and commercial satellite programmes. SSTL is an independent British company within the EADS Astrium NV group.
About Surrey Space Centre:
The Surrey Space Centre (SSC), a Research Centre of the Faculty of Electronics and Physical Sciences (FEPS) at the University of Surrey, is a world leading Centre of Excellence in Space Engineering, whose aim is to underpin the technical development of the space industry through its advanced research programmes. SSC, comprising 10 academic staff, 11 research fellows and over 60 postgraduate researchers, develops new innovative technologies which are exploited by the space industry.
Media Enquiries
Howard Wheeler, Press Office at the University of Surrey, Tel: +44 (0)1483 686141, or Email mediarelations@surrey.ac.uk
