Japan sends a new type of satellite into space, made from wood.

It's the first of its kind. It's designed to test materials, and SpaceX shot it into space for them (For a price.) It's a satellite made of wood. (yes wood) Kyoto University researchers and a timber company called Sumitomo Forestry got together back in 2020 to determine how wood behaves with exposure to space. They did this at the International Space Station. Now here we are in 2024, and they want to take it even farther. 

According to TheVerge.com,
‘Called LignoSat, after the Latin word for wood, the satellite launched Monday night aboard a SpaceX mission bound for the International Space Station. It’ll eventually be released into orbit, where instruments will measure how the wood fares under the harsh conditions of space over six months.’ 

The concept is simple to understand, is wood a viable construction medium for the rigors of space? It may turn out to be a much more difficult concept to prove, however. 

This whole project stems from an idea of A 50-year program to grow wood that would eventually be used to construct habitats and facilities on the moon. (Kind of a long shot plan in my opinion.) 

The research team at Kyoto University believes that the lack of air and water in space actually makes wood a viable construction medium. The other testing that the satellite will be used for is to determine whether wood will be able to protect delicate circuitry from solar radiation. 

If successful, another positive aspect of using wood to construct satellites would be from a pollution standpoint as they reenter the atmosphere at end of life. Upon reentry, conventional satellites as they burn up in our atmosphere, release a lot of aluminum oxide particles. Not a good thing for our atmosphere. 

All in all, as silly as it sounds, it's probably a worthwhile test, and if it's successful, it could be a game changer in space. 

The first wooden satellite launched into space - The Verge
- SpaceX - Launches
World's first wooden satellite, developed in Japan, heads to space