NASA launching satellites based on Android smartphones
Out-of-the-box “smartphones already offer a wealth of capabilities needed for satellite systems, including fast processors, versatile operating systems, multiple miniature sensors, high-resolution cameras, GPS receivers, and several radios,” the agency said online.
NASA said it has built two types of smartphone satellites. The nanosatellites are being operated by mobile phones, which provide the operating system and the communications capabilities.
The mission of the first, the PhoneSat 1.0, is simply to stay alive in space. NASA said the PhoneSat 1.0, which runs on the HTC Nexus One phone, will take pictures of the Earth and send them back, along with information about its health.
