Galaxy S II, Samsung Electronics’ second-generation of Android-powered smartphones, will be sent up to 30 kilometers above ground as part of a “Space Balloon” campaign launched at Samsung’s Japan offices, the company said Friday.

Attached to a small balloon, the phone will be launched from the Nevada desert in the U.S. from Friday to Monday for two hours each day.

Messages posted on Twitter and Facebook will be available on the screen of the phone to be broadcasted live via http://space-balloon.net, Samsung said.

For the project, Samsung tested the phone’s super AM-OLED display ― the first such non-LCD screen used in a Samsung smartphone ― and other functions, such as whether the handset can operate in severe weather conditions.

“We plan to continue advertising the Galaxy S II with these campaigns that are closer to the consumers’ hearts,” said one Samsung Electronics official.

Globally, the Galaxy II sold more than 3 million units in less than two months since its worldwide launch in May.

By the year’s end, global sales of the Android smartphone is expected to hit 12 million, according to analysts.

In the local markets, Samsung said it now has secured almost a 60 percent market share.

By Kim Ji-hyun  (jemmie@heraldcorp.com)