The world’s first wooden satellite, LignoSat, developed by Kyoto University and Sumitomo Forestry, launched into space on Tuesday. It marks an early experiment in the use of timber for future space exploration. Built by Japanese researchers, the palm-sized satellite will travel to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX mission before being released into orbit approximately 400 kilometers above Earth.
Takao Doi, a former astronaut now focused on human space activities at Kyoto University, envisions using timber to construct space habitats. “With timber, a material we can produce by ourselves, we will be able to build houses, live and work in space forever,” Doi explained. The team has a 50-year plan involving tree planting and timber construction on the moon and Mars, starting with LignoSat to validate wood as a space-grade material.
Koji Murata, a forest science professor at Kyoto University, emphasized the practicality of using wood, noting, “Early 1900s airplanes were made of wood. A wooden satellite should be feasible, too.” He explained that in space, wood remains more durable compared to its behavior on Earth because the absence of water and oxygen prevents rot and combustion. Moreover, LignoSat is constructed from honoki, a type of magnolia tree known for its resilience, using a traditional Japanese craft technique that avoids screws or glue.
A key benefit of using wood is its reduced environmental impact upon re-entry. Conventional metal satellites can create aluminum oxide pollution when burning up in the Earth’s atmosphere. Wooden satellites, in contrast, would fully combust, minimizing such environmental concerns. Doi also speculated on a future where metal satellites might face bans, stating, “If we can prove our first wooden satellite works, we want to pitch it to Elon Musk’s SpaceX.”
The satellite, designed to operate for six months in orbit, will endure extreme conditions, with temperatures swinging from -100 to 100 degrees Celsius every 45 minutes as it moves between darkness and sunlight. Its electronic components will measure how well wood withstands the harsh environment and whether it can shield semiconductors from space radiation, an attribute that could interest industries like data center construction.
Kenji Kariya from Sumitomo Forestry Tsukuba Research Institute pointed to wood’s untapped potential. “It may seem outdated, but wood is actually cutting-edge technology as civilization heads to the moon and Mars,” Kariya said, suggesting that space expansion could provide a significant boost to the timber industry.
Featured image courtesy of Kyodo News
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