Besides fifa coins being the first Android-based satellite in space, it mayalso be the first to use a D printed part. But don't think thatjust because it's built using an off-the-shelf smartphone and Dprinting that this is a low-tech machine. It's also the firstnano-satellite to use "WARP DRiVE (Water Alcohol ResistojetPropulsion Deorbit Re-entry Velocity Experiment) and electricPulsed Plasma Thrusters, or PPTs. The total bill for the satelliteis said to be "slightly more than a high-end family car.
Besides STRa and the Ames Phone Sat, several other projectsare underway to democratise space exploration throughnano-satellites, including the Kickstarter backedNano Satisfi, which will use the open source circuit boardArduino and let home users rent time to run their own software onthe machine.
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