World’s first wooden satellite launched into space by Japan

A SpaceX rocket carried the world’s first wooden satellite, LignoSat, into space at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday as part of a resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The palm-sized satellite, made out of a magnolia wood variant known as honoki by Japanese researchers at Kyoto University, is expected to be released into orbit from the ISS about a month later.

Traditional material: The researchers selected the honoki wood after a 10-month experiment on the ISS demonstrated its suitability for space applications. LignoSat was constructed using traditional Japanese techniques, without screws or glue and will orbit Earth for six months. During this time, it will measure the wood’s resistance to extreme temperature fluctuations and its ability to shield semiconductors from space radiation.
Sustainability in space: The experiment aims to test the durability of wood in the harsh environment of space and explore its potential as a sustainable material for future space exploration. “If we can prove our first wooden satellite works, we want to pitch it to Elon Musk’s SpaceX,” said Takao Doi, an astronaut at Kyoto University. According to Doi, wood could pave the way for structures on the moon and Mars, potentially allowing humans to “build houses, live and work in space forever.”

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