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Chinese mobile phone maker Huawei is attempting to set a new world record for the highest smartphone livestream ever.

At around midday today, Huawei's newest flagship smartphone, the Honor 8, will be put in a weather balloon at the SSC Esrange Space Center in Lapland, Sweden, and sent 30 kilometers up towards space.

As well as the Honor 8 smartphone, the balloon will carry a GoPro camera, a downlink for livestreaming and equipment to regulate temperature and battery.

(Image: Honor 8)

"We wanted to do something extraordinary when launching Honor 8. So why not be the ones to do the highest smartphone livestream ever?" says Peter Lundkvist, marketing manager for Huawei Device Sweden.

"Honor as a brand stands for braveness and authenticity. What represents these two elements better than a journey towards space?"

According to Marcus Lindh, space engineer at the Swedish Space Corporation, the biggest challenge will be protecting the phone against extreme temperature conditions.

(Image: Honor 8)

Temperatures below -50˚C can be expected at some altitudes, while the radiation from the sun adds a risk of overheating at higher altitudes.

The whole payload (except for the phone itself) is powered by space-certified batteries specifically designed for use in vacuum and regularly used on SSCs rocket and balloon missions.

The Honor 8 uses the original batteries, but will be charged continuously during the mission towards space.

"We've tried to tackle the challenge in multiple ways, and I believe that we've finally got it," said Lindh. "Now we’ll just hold our thumbs and hope that our calculations are correct!"

(Image: Honor 8)

Once the balloon is on it's way, the downlink will alternate between the cameras on the phone and the GoPro that films the phone rising towards space. The cameras will livestream and broadcast everything.

A geographic fence is implemented to automatically cut down the balloon with a pyrotechnic cutter if it floats away too far or gets too close to the ground.

The balloon reaches a diameter of approximately 12 meters when fully expanded at an altitude of 30 km.

If all goes to plan, it will land within the Esrange landing area in the northern Swedish Lapland by parachute after about 2.5 hours. It will then be picked up by a helicopter at the GPS position received from the tracking device.