First wooden satellite reaches the International Space Station

The palm-sized LignoSat, developed by Kyoto University and the construction company Sumitomo Forestry, reached the ISS on board a SpaceX mission. After about a month, the satellite will be released into orbit at an altitude of around 400 kilometers.

"With wood, a material we can produce ourselves, we will be able to build houses and live and work in space forever," said Takao Doi, a former astronaut and space researcher at Kyoto University, in a report by the Reuters news agency.

The satellite, made from the wood of the Honoki magnolia – a type of magnolia native to Japan–, was completed at the end of May and has been waiting to be deployed ever since. Interesting detail: a traditional Japanese handicraft technique was used in the construction, which does not require screws or adhesives.

Wood as a sustainable space material

The researchers see several advantages in the use of wood in space. Forest science professor Koji Murata from Kyoto University explained that wood is more durable in space than on Earth, as there is no water or oxygen to decompose or ignite it.

Another important aspect is environmental compatibility: when disused satellites enter the Earth's atmosphere, wooden satellites burn up with significantly fewer pollutant emissions than conventional metal satellites, which release aluminum oxide particles.

Six-month test phase

During its six-month test phase in orbit, LignoSat will be exposed to extreme conditions. Temperatures will fluctuate between minus 100 and plus 100 degrees Celsius every 45 minutes as the satellite alternates between darkness and sunlight.

The built-in electronic components will measure how the wood withstands these extreme conditions. They will also investigate whether wood can reduce the effects of space radiation on semiconductors.

"This may seem outdated, but wood is actually a cutting-edge technology for expansion to the moon and Mars colonization," said Kenji Kariya of Sumitomo Forestry Tsukuba Research Institute in the Reuters report. The team has a 50-year plan to plant trees and build wooden houses on the Moon and Mars.

Development of the wooden satellite began back in spring 2020, and since then tests have been carried out to ensure that the LignoSat poses no danger to the crew of the ISS or its instruments.

A Finnish timber company actually wanted to send a satellite with wooden walls into space as early as 2021. The "Wisa Woodsaat" is supposedly already finished, but is still waiting to be launched. Unlike the LignoSat, which is intended to provide valuable data, the competitor from Finland was primarily intended as advertising, even though those involved have assured that they will collect "data on the behavior and durability of plywood in the harsh environment".

(mack)