Australian nanosatellite snaps 1st selfie in space before tracking cosmic gamma-ray bursts (photo)

A metal cube-shaped device in the foreground with a blue-and-white earth in the background.

Australia's SpIRIT nanosatellite has snapped its first "selfie" from space, marking a successful start to its mission.

SpIRIT — formally known as the Space Industry Responsive Intelligent Thermal nanosatellite — is the first space telescope funded by the Australian Space Agency to carry a foreign space agency's scientific instrument as its main payload.