Japan Comes Closer to Becoming a Space Power with Wooden Satellite Launches

The first wooden satellite, Japan's LignoSat launches to test wood's suitability as a renewable material for space exploration and eventual lunar or Martian habitat.

A historic mission that is particularly unique has been launched in Japan in the form of a working wooden satellite called the LignoSat. In the partnership of Kyoto University and Sumitomo Forestry, LignoSat was launched via SpaceX and will go on an orbit of the planet for the next six months at a distance of 400 kilometers. This satellite that is built entirely of the Japanese magnolia curia wood is meant to be test to see how practical the use of wood would be for long term space exploration.

Kendo's technologies sans screws or glue made it LignoSat, a small box. Kyoto University's Takao Doi with the project, which takes a look into wood's strength against extreme space temperatures from -100 to 100 degrees Celsius. Advancing space technology will be enabled with new materials and new resources that have not been possible to use previously.

The main goal of the mission is to study whether wood can buffer shield delicate equipment against radiation. Compared with the incineration of wood, aluminum destroys the environment more owing to the toxic compounds that are precipitated during re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere. If successful, wood may be allowed into satellite production, moon building, and Mars structures, potentially reducing the need for aluminum oxides in satellite components.

The mission of LignoSat is indicative of the recent trends of interest in the use of smart and renewable resources in designing space equipment, therefore providing a new potential market for the timber sector as the exploration of space expands.