The world's first wooden satellite was built by Japanese researchers May 29, 2024

The world's first wooden satellite made of wood developed by scientists from Kyoto University and the timber company Sumitomo Forestry (STR)

By AFP - Agence France Presse

The world's first wooden satellite was built by Japanese researchers

The world's first wooden satellite has been built by Japanese researchers who say their small cuboid craft will be launched on a SpaceX rocket in September.

Each side of the experimental satellite developed by scientists from Kyoto University and the timber company Sumitomo Forestry measures just 10 centimeters (four inches).

The creators hope that the wooden material will burn up completely when the device re-enters the atmosphere, which could be a way of avoiding the generation of metal particles when a retired satellite returns to Earth.

These metal particles can hurt the environment and telecommunications, the developers said when announcing the satellite's completion on Tuesday.

“Satellites that are not made of metal should become commonplace,” said Takao Doi, astronaut and special professor at Kyoto University, at a press conference.

The developers plan to deliver the satellite, made of magnolia wood and named LignoSat, to the JAXA space agency next week.

It will be sent into space on a SpaceX rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in September, bound for the International Space Station (ISS), they said.

From there, the satellite will be released from the ISS's Japanese experiment module to test its strength and durability.

“Data will be sent from the satellite to researchers, who will be able to check for signs of strain and whether the satellite can withstand large temperature changes,” a Sumitomo Forestry spokeswoman told AFP on Wednesday.

Also on Tuesday, a rocket carrying a separate sophisticated satellite - a collaboration between the European Space Agency (ESA) and JAXA - took off from California on a mission to investigate the role clouds could play in the fight against climate change.

The EarthCARE satellite will orbit about 400 kilometers (250 miles) above the Earth for three years.

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