So you thought the Nexus One was dead? The original Nexus phone will never die! Or, so says NASA, anyway. If you don’t remember, NASA chose the Nexus One to be the world’s first smartphone in space to be used as a nano satellite. It has actually been a few years in the making, as extensive tests had to be made to make sure the Nexus One could withstand the harsh conditions of space.

The Nexus One was put into vacuum chambers and tested in a wide temperature range to make sure it could make it into orbit without melting. Welp, it passed, and now it’s floating in space. So what, exactly, will this iconic phone be up there to do? For now, we only know that its main purpose is to take photos from space and collect satellite data, and beam that information back to the curious souls here on Earth.

The satellite will utilize the 360 App to do its bidding, and before too long we’ll be able to look at the various photos it takes on the 360 App Facebook page. It won’t stop there, though — users will be able to request their own snapshots of space, but details have yet to come out regarding that exciting opportunity just yet.

We always joke about how Android is on everything from toasters to refrigerators, and from cars to watches, but after getting the first Android-powered satellite into the atmosphere it’s safe to say that Android can and will be used on absolutely anything. Take a look at the video above to see what went into this historic launch by Surrey Satellite Technology.

[via HTC]