Shropshire Star

From Shropshire border to the edge of space: iPhone's amazing long distance fall

This amazing video shows how an iPhone 6 was launched 100,000ft up to the edge of space from the Shropshire border – and survived sub-zero temperatures and a bumpy crash landing without a single scratch.

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The smartphone was wrapped in a "military grade" case and launched from a site near Chirk Castle.

Despite not having screen protection, it withstood 70mph winds, temperatures below -56C (-69F) and rotation speeds of 150 revolutions per minute during a nauseating descent.

The entire drop test was filmed by a camera attached to rig – including the phone's return to earth with a thud. The stunt was undertaken by California-based Urban Armor Gear, which made the case.

Michael McVerry, marketing manager for the firm, told the Shropshire Star from his US office that there were two reasons for coming to the UK to fire up the phone.

He said: "We needed to get government approval to do it, and we couldn't get it over here in America. But we are looking to expand our operations into Europe and this seemed like a good way to get people's attention over the pond."

Urban Armor Gear recruited Derbyshire-based web firm www.sentintospace.com to help with the launch.

Mr McVerry said it was the UK firm which picked the site near Chirk Castle as the launch destination.

"They chose Chirk Castle because the prevailing winds tend to come from the west in that area, thus to make sure the flight rig would land near London and not in the sea," Mr McVerry said.

"Also Chirk Castle provides easy access to launch and recover the flight rig, while the landscape provides beautiful scenery for the video.

"We are very pleased with the response we have had to this. It has now had more than 1.3 million views on YouTube."

The incredible footage shows the device soaring into the stratosphere while attached to a weather balloon.

The rig carrying the phone then drops back down to earth, before crashing to the ground to supposedly demonstrate the durability of its protective case.

Although the phone shut down during its flight due to the extreme temperatures, it was fully functional after the test.

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