Wooden Satellite Reaches Space for the First Time

A tiny cube made of magnolia wood is headed to the International Space Station (ISS), wherever it volition beryllium deployed into abstraction to trial however it withstands the utmost environment. Researchers anticipation this experimentation volition pave the mode for much sustainable materials successful abstraction construction.

LignoSat, a woody outer developed by researchers astatine Kyoto University and Japanese logging institution Sumitomo Forestry, launched to the ISS connected Monday nighttime connected committee SpaceX’s resupply mission. The outer volition beryllium released from the abstraction presumption successful astir 1 month’s clip to trial its durability successful space, and whether wood tin beryllium utilized arsenic an alternate to trim the magnitude of discarded littering debased Earth orbit.

When 1 thinks of worldly that tin past space, wood doesn’t precisely travel to mind. However, wood tin bash amazingly good beyond Earth’s atmosphere, and it mightiness besides person a fewer advantages implicit accepted worldly utilized to physique satellites. In March 2022, the researchers down LignoSat exposed 3 types of wood to the harsh situation extracurricular the ISS for a play of 10 months, and recovered that the worldly was not affected by the surrounding cosmic rays oregon incoming star particles. The wood did not crack, peel, warp oregon endure immoderate aboveground harm aft hanging retired successful debased Earth orbit for astir a year, with magnolia wood proving the astir durable.

The orbital experimentation paved the mode for LignoSat to instrumentality flight. The outer measures astir 4 inches (10.16 centimeters) connected each broadside and weighs conscionable implicit 2 pounds (0.9 kilograms). It’s not wholly made retired of wood, of course, lone the parts that would usually beryllium constructed from aluminum.

Once it’s deployed, LignoSat volition beryllium enactment to the trial for a play of six months successful debased Earth orbit, with onboard instruments measuring however the magnolia wood fares successful the harsh abstraction environment.

The thought was archetypal projected astir 4 years agone arsenic a mode to make a low-cost spacecraft that won’t adhd to the increasing occupation of abstraction junk. Unlike accepted satellites, those made chiefly of wood volition pain up wholly erstwhile reentering done Earth’s atmosphere. Defunct satellites made from metallic tin interruption into smaller fragments, oregon merchandise harmful aluminum erstwhile they pain up into the atmosphere, which has a antagonistic biology impact. Another vantage is that wood doesn’t artifact electromagnetic waves, truthful the outer could location its antennas wrong its woody assemblage alternatively than connected the outside.

And it doesn’t conscionable halt astatine satellites. The researcher astatine Kyoto University judge that wood tin beryllium utilized to physique different structures successful space, including quality habitats connected the Moon and Mars. Let’s anticipation the timber tin past its archetypal six-month enactment successful space.