A group of researchers in Japan built the first wooden satellite and are preparing to launch it later this year to test its capabilities in Earth orbit.
The experimental satellite was developed by scientists at Kyoto University and Tokyo company Sumitomo Forestry and will launch in September aboard a SpaceX rocket, according to The Japan Times. The rocket will lift off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, sending the satellite to the International Space Station (ISS). The satellite will then be launched from Japan’s Kibo module to test how it withstands the harsh environment of space.
LignoSat it is a small cube made of magnolia wood, measuring 4 inches on each side and weighing just over 2 pounds. It’s been nearly four years in the making, and the idea was originally proposed as a way to create a low-cost spacecraft that wouldn’t add to the growing problem of orbital debris. The satellite is not made entirely of wood, of course, just the parts that would normally be constructed of aluminum.
Unlike traditional satellites, a wooden satellite would burn up completely when re-entering Earth’s atmosphere. Satellites made of the metal can explode into pieces of space debris or burn up, releasing harmful aluminum into the atmosphere and causing negative environmental impacts. Another advantage is that wood does not block electromagnetic waves, so the satellite can place its antennas inside its wooden body rather than outside.
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The researchers behind LignoSat have previously tested wood in space. In March 2022, researchers exposed three types of wood to the harsh environment outside the ISS and found that the material was unaffected by surrounding cosmic rays or incoming solar particles over a period of 10 months.
After examining three different types of wood on board the ISS, the team concluded that magnolia wood is the most durable type due to its overall strength. This is why it was chosen as the material used to build LignoSat.
The LignoSat team is also thinking long-term, hoping to incorporate wood into building more structures in space. “Expanding the potential of wood as a sustainable resource is important,” said Takao Doi, a professor at Kyoto University and astronaut, during a press conference on Wednesday. “We intend to build human habitats using wood in space, such as on the Moon and Mars, in the future.”
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