Snapshot 3:Wed, Nov 6, 2024 5:50:20 AM GMT last edited by Vandita

Japan Launches World's First Wooden Satellite into Space

Published NOV 6 2024

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Above: The world's first wooden satellite is shown during a press conference at Kyoto University on May 28, 2024. Image copyright: STR/Contributor/JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty Images

The Spin

TheWooden usesatellites ofrepresent woodan inenvironmentally spaceconscious technologysolution mayfor seemspace outdatedexploration, butas itthey actuallyburn representsup cuttingcleanly during atmospheric re-edgeentry innovationcompared to metal satellites that couldrelease revolutionizealuminum spaceoxide colonizationparticles. andMetal reinvigoratesatellites themight timberface industryfuture throughrestrictions, newmaking applicationswooden andalternatives marketsincreasingly important for sustainable space development.

Space.com

Timber has properties that are hard to control, and from an engineering point of view, it's a complex material to make critical structures like spacecraft parts. Finding ways to make future space exploration sustainable is fine, but the use of wood in space technology is outdated and offers no real solution to reducing the space industry's environmental impact.

BBC News

Metaculus Prediction

There's a 1% chance that there will be at least one human fatality in space due to space debris by 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.