Japan Launches World's First Wooden Satellite into Space
Japan Launches World's First Wooden Satellite into Space
The Facts
The palm-sized satellite, made from hinoki magnolia wood using traditional Japanese crafting techniques without screws or glue, will orbit approximately 250 miles above Earth for a six-month testing period.LignoSat, the world's first wood-paneled satellite, was launched into space aboard a SpaceX mission on Tuesday in an early test of using timber in lunar and Mars exploration.
Scientists selected hinoki wood after a 10-month experiment aboard the International Space Station, noting its durability in space due to the absence of water and oxygen that typically cause decay.Researchers from Japan's Kyoto University and homebuilder Sumitomo Forestry developed the palm-sized glue- and screw-less satellite using hinoki magnolia wood and traditional Japanese crafting techniques.
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.
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 Finding ways to make future space exploration sustainable is fine, but the use of wood in space technology is outdated and offers no real solution to reducing the space industry's environmental impact.
