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| NASA |
NEWSLINE PAPER,- Kyoto University and Sumimoto Forestry teamed up to create the world's first wooden satellite.
The satellite will be sent into space by a SpaceX rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in September 2024 to the International Space Station. (ISS).
According to Takao Doi, an astronaut and professor at Kyoto University, satellites that are not made of metal should be something natural.
Although it sounds weird, wood can actually be a good material to send out into space.
Wood stored in space-like conditions does not seem to suffer mass loss or degradation, thus being a sustainable resource.
When re-entering Earth's atmosphere, wooden satellites are expected to burn out without leaving any hazardous residues, unlike the metal satellite that can survive once it returns to Earth and contribute to pollution and terrestrial debris.
Another advantage of using wood over metal is that wood is basically transparent against a variety of wavelengths.
This allows the antenna to be safely placed inside a wooden frame, thus eliminating the need for an external antenna.
Currently, when a new satellite is launched into orbit, it has to install an external antenna. It's a complicated process that sometimes fails.
So, basically, wood allows satellites to be simpler, cheaper, and more cost-effective.
The new satellite, called LignoSat, has been built for four years. It's 10 inches in all directions. Several different types of wood have been tested, and the engineers chose magnolia wood.
The satellite will now be sent to JAXA (Japanese Space Agency) and from there it is expected to reach the ISS for strength and resilience testing.
Sumitomo Forestry's spokesman said data would be sent from satellites to researchers who could check for signs of tension and whether the satellite could withstand large temperature changes.