The world's first wooden satellite was launched into space

The world's first wooden satellite, created by Japanese researchers, was launched into space. The launch took place as part of an experimental use of wood in the study of the Moon and Mars.

This is reported by CNN.

What is known about the first wooden satellite

LignoSat was developed by Kyoto University and the construction company Sumitomo Forestry. It will be delivered to the International Space Station as part of the SpaceX mission. Later, it is planned to put the satellite into orbit approximately 400 km above the Earth.

The device aims to demonstrate the space potential of renewable material in studies of the life possibility in space.

"Airplanes of the early 1900s were made of wood. A wooden satellite should also be possible," Koji Murata said, a professor of forestry at Kyoto University.

Murata added that wood in space is more durable than on Earth, as there is no water or oxygen to rot or ignite it.

Why wood is better than metal

The researchers say that when a wooden satellite reaches the end of its service life, its environmental impact will also be minimal.

Decommissioned satellites must re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere to prevent space pollution. However, conventional metal satellites generate aluminum oxide particles during re-entry, while wooden satellites burn with less pollution.

LignoSat is made from honoki, a type of magnolia tree. After a 10-month experiment aboard the International Space Station, researchers found that this wood is the most suitable for spacecraft.

After launch, the satellite will remain in orbit for six months, and the electronics on board will measure the strength of the wood at temperatures from -100 to 100 degrees Celsius every 45 minutes.

It should be recalled that the galaxy Messier 90, which is located in the constellation Virgo 55 million light-years from Earth, was photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope. It is one of the few star systems that approaches our planet.

We also wrote that the National Space Agency launched the Europa Clipper spacecraft using the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. In 2030, the spacecraft should travel approximately 3.2 billion kilometers and begin studying Jupiter's moon Europa.