Japan has become the world’s first country to launch a satellite made primarily of wood into space, as per a report by Reuters. Named 'The LignoSat' ('lignum' means 'wood' in Latin), the world’s first wooden satellite is developed by Kyoto University researchers in collaboration with Sumitomo Forestry, a Japan-based logging and processing company.
As part of a resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS), the Lignosat was launched into space by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on November 5. The wooden satellite reached the International Space Station (ISS) a day later. Plans are to send the Lignosat into orbit later in 2024 for a period of six months.
Lignosat: The palm-sized wooden satellite
To build Lignosat, the researchers and scientists used “honoki”, a type of magnolia tree grown natively in Japan. The wooden satellite is built without using any screws or glue. Each side of the cube-shaped LignoSat measures just 4 inches, which means you could fit the Lignosat in your palm!
Why use wood, but? One would think cost reduction is the reason, which it certainly is but is not the primary one. The main motive for using wood to construct a satellite is to reduce space junk/debris. When wood is the building material of the satellite, it can be easily burned off in the Earth’s atmosphere by sending the satellite into low-Earth orbit. Conversely, the metal parts used in traditional satellites don’t disintegrate properly upon entering Earth's atmosphere and their particles also end up infesting our planet’s environment.
The satellites are decommissioned in the low-Earth orbit so that they don’t float around in space as dangerous space junk.
The other major reason for using wood to make the satellite is to know how the absence of water and air in space would affect wood. Koji Murata, professor of Forest Science at Kyoto University, reportedly believes that the absence of both will preclude the setting in of rot and won’t cause the wood to catch fire, respectively.
If the wood used in the Lignosat passes the harsh and unforgiving test of space, which includes sharp temperature changes, we might see future missions to the Moon and Mars using machines constructed of wood.
And here’s the kicker. The ultimate plan is to plant trees and build houses using timber on the Moon and Mars for 50 years. As such, much depends on how the Lignosat fares during its six-month orbit.
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