The world’s first wooden satellite has left the International Space Station and is successfully orbiting space, marking a giant leap for the use of timber in lunar and Mars exploration. That is according to a spokesperson from NASA, who yesterday revealed that the LignoSat probe, the first biodegradable satellite invented by Japanese scientists, has achieved a major milestone in its push to build the next generation of spacecraft out of magnolia wood instead of earth-polluting metals.
Launched in November, the mission—so named after the Latin word for “wood”—is tasked with demonstrating the cosmic potential of renewable material as humans explore living in space: “With timber, a material we can produce by ourselves, we will be able to build houses, live and work in space forever,” said Professor Takao Doi, a former astronaut working with Kyoto University to win the race to orbit a wooden satellite in space.
According to NASA, three types of wood species were tested in space before Honoki magnolia was selected to build LignoSat’s CubeSat. Comprising 10cm wooden panels, which form the base of the palm-sized module, the CubeSat was assembled using a traditional Japanese wood joinery method known as “Blind Miter Dovetail Joint” – a technique that does not use glue or nails.
Wood Central understands that the impetus to switch to aluminium for wood across 2,000 satellites could open enormous opportunities to disrupt space exploration: “(That’s because) metal satellites might be banned in the future,” Professor Doi said, confirming that the LignoStat prob will orbit the Earth for several months before re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere and burning up: “All the satellites which re-enter the atmosphere burn and create tiny alumina particles, which float into the upper atmosphere for many years.”
“If we can prove our first wooden satellite works, we want to pitch it to Elon Musk’s SpaceX.”
Professor Takao Doi, a former astronaunt who said that timber rather than metal could be the future for spacecraft and satelitte exploration.
And whilst the orbiting CubeSat currently uses aluminium parts to connect the wiring to the wooden box, researchers are hopeful that the parts can be fully replaced with timber parts in the future. “If the launch of the wooden satellite proves that timber can be used in space, it should change how we look at timber on Earth and lead to new uses and a reevaluation of the material,” according to Professor Koji Murata, Kyoto University’s lead researcher on the project.
- Click here for Wood Central’s special feature to learn more about the LignoSat project and the push to use more timber in the next generation of satellites and spacecraft.
