The world’s first wooden satellite has successfully launched aboard a SpaceX rocket, as announced by its Japanese developers on Tuesday. This satellite, part of a resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS), is a project of scientists at Kyoto University. They anticipate that the wooden material will incinerate upon re-entry, potentially providing a solution to the issue of metal particles generated by retired satellites returning to Earth, which can harm the environment and disrupt telecommunications.
The experimental satellite, named LignoSat, has a box-like design with each side measuring just 10 centimeters (four inches). It was launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, according to Kyoto University’s Human Spaceology Center.
The satellite was placed inside a special container created by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and has successfully “flown into space,” the agency confirmed in a post on X. A representative from Sumitomo Forestry, a co-developer of LignoSat, stated that the launch was a success and that the satellite is expected to reach the ISS soon. It will be deployed into space approximately a month later to assess its strength and durability.
Researchers will receive data from LignoSat to monitor for signs of strain and evaluate its ability to withstand extreme temperature fluctuations. Takao Doi, an astronaut and special professor at Kyoto University, remarked at a press conference earlier this year that “satellites not made of metal should become the norm.”
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