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Google and ex-NASA engineer send a Pixel phone into space

Popular YouTuber Mark Rober in collaboration with Google, SpaceX and T-Mobile is enabling users to take selfies from space via a modified satellite.

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Ubaid Zargar
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Mark Rober x Google

Mark Rober & Google collab

Google has launched an unconventional marketing initiative that combines space technology with social media influence, partnering with former NASA engineer and YouTube creator Mark Rober to enable users to capture selfies from space.

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The project, which includes collaborations with T-Mobile and CrunchLabs, represents a notable shift in how tech companies approach product demonstration and influencer partnerships.

The technical implementation involves a CubeSat satellite, launched via SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket during the Transporter 12 mission. The satellite carries a Google Pixel device that will display the selfies, which Rober's team has integrated with cameras and digital antennas for two-way image transmission.

Users can submit selfies through a dedicated website, and the satellite will capture the photos when it passes over their location.

This project differs distinctly from traditional influencer marketing approaches. Instead of conventional product endorsement, the collaboration leverages Rober's technical background as a former NASA engineer alongside his social media presence. This dual expertise appears to lend technical credibility to the project while maintaining broad consumer appeal.

A more detailed technical breakdown is available on Rober's personal YouTube channel, where he delves into the engineering complexities behind the initiative. The satellite, named SAT GUS after CrunchLabs' squirrel mascot Phat Gus, is equipped with two Google Pixel phones and an array of cameras, as Rober explains in his comprehensive video.

Trivia: Phat Gus, which just happens to be the name of the bushy-tailed athlete and four-legged physicist, Crunchlab’s squirrel mascot, gained fame through YouTuber Mark Rober's squirrel obstacle course videos. Initially thought to be overweight, Phat Gus was later discovered to be pregnant. Fat, therefore became Phat. As in 'Phantastic'.

The satellite operates in Earth's orbit at an altitude of 60 kilometres, utilising a solar-powered system to capture the unique space selfies.

The project offers an intriguing dual-photography opportunity. Users can submit their location to Rober's team, who will then calculate when SAT GUS will pass directly over their city.

Participants receive advance notice of the exact timing, allowing them to potentially appear twice in their space selfie—once in their submitted photo displayed on the Pixel phone in space—and again as a tiny figure visible from the satellite's perspective when they step outside during the scheduled flyover.

There is a catch, however. Access to the service comes through various channels, each tied to existing business relationships. CrunchLabs subscribers, who pay between $20 and $65 annually for engineering education kits, receive access codes as part of their membership.

T-Mobile has integrated the offering into their T-Life app for existing customers, while Google Pixel users are being offered codes through their device ownership.

In any case, this appears to be a fairly neat content marketing gimmick from Google. Not only does its Pixel phone find a very seamless plug within the whole operation from Rober, but it also adds to the tech-forward identity that Google has been able to manufacture for its Pixel devices. 

By the way, it is interesting that the project features older Pixel device and not the latest Pixel 9 series. The brand has been very active in promoting its Pixel devices and has seen some remarkable growth.

In November, it was revealed that Google's share of the smartphone market surged after strong Pixel 9 sales, overtaking Motorola and OnePlus. Google's market share in North America tripled from 4.76% to 12.9% in a month.

Google Pixel T-Mobile Google Pixel 8
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