The latest instalment to the much loved Angry Birds app-based gaming franchise has hit a new milestone with a staggering 20 million downloads recorded by Angry Birds Space during its first week on sale.

Launched last Thursday, March 22nd, developer Rovio has revealed that the Angry Birds, Angry Birds Seasons and Angry Birds Rio follow-on has hit the impressive download figure within a week of launch to take the Angry Birds franchise as a whole to within a whisper of a billion total downloads.

“Over 20 Million downloads in our first week… That’s a lot of pig popping! #angrybirdsspace” Finnish developer Rovio announced via its official Twitter feed.

Launched simultaneously on iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac and PC platforms the new Angry Birds Space release has seen the introduction of a host of new featured crusaders and an all new gameplay style that requires users to work on their physics nouse and trajectory knowhow.

Angry Birds Space Features

Claiming to promote learning and physics through play, the new Angry Birds offering sees gamers battling against variable gravity environments in order to deter the familiar band of pesky pigs from stealing the birds’ eggs.

“By taking the game galactic, Angry Birds Space retains the familiar elements of Angry Birds gameplay but gives them a unique twist in a variable gravity environment,” an official Rovio spokesperson said of the new title.

“From the weightlessness of space to the gravity wells of nearby planets, fans can have fun with physics as they try out new gameplay possibilities. The Angry Birds themselves have also transformed into superheroes, with new costumes and abilities.”

Have you already downloaded Angry Birds Space? What do you make of the latest miffed avian offering? Let us know via the T3 Twitter and Facebook feeds.