World’s First Wooden Satellite Set for SpaceX Launch in Japan

Japanese researchers have built the world’s first wooden satellite, a tiny cuboid craft scheduled to be launched into space on a SpaceX rocket in September.

Each side of the experimental satellite, developed by scientists at Kyoto University and logging company Sumitomo Forestry, measures four inches.

The creators expect the wooden material will burn up completely upon re-entry into the atmosphere, potentially providing an eco-friendly solution to avoid the creation of metal particles when a retired satellite returns to Earth.

These metal particles can negatively impact the environment and telecommunications, the developers explained during the announcement of the satellite’s completion on Tuesday.

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

The developers plan to hand the satellite, made from magnolia wood and named LignoSat, to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) next week.

The wooden satellite will be launched into space on a SpaceX rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in September, bound for the International Space Station (ISS).

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

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

In a related event on Tuesday, a rocket carrying a separate sophisticated satellite—a collaboration between the European Space Agency (ESA) and JAXA—blasted off from California.

This mission aims to investigate the role clouds could play in the fight against climate change.

The EarthCARE satellite will orbit nearly 250 miles above Earth for three years.