Why Japan Just Launched the World’s First Wooden Satellite

The world’s first wooden satellite has been launched into space, in a step toward sustainable space exploration.

The project by scientists at Kyoto University is intended to be a potential solution to the growing problem of space debris.

Named LingoSat, the innovative satellite was launched aboard an unmanned SpaceX rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday and will later be released from the International Space Station (ISS).

The diminutive cube satellite, measuring just 4 inches on each side, is constructed primarily from magnolia wood using traditional Japanese woodworking techniques, without glues or screws.

This pioneering project aims to address a critical environmental concern: the accumulation of harmful metal particles in Earth’s upper atmosphere from deorbiting satellites.

When conventional satellites burn up upon reentering the atmosphere, they release metallic particles that can potentially damage the ozone layer.

A 2023 study revealed that these particles, particularly aluminum oxides, pose significant environmental risks.

“Satellites that are not made of metal should become mainstream,” said Takao Doi, an astronaut and special professor at Kyoto University, during a press conference in May following the satellite’s construction.

This sentiment was echoed by NASA’s Meghan Everett, deputy chief scientist for the ISS program. “While some of you might think that wood in space seems a little counterintuitive, researchers hope this investigation demonstrates that a wooden satellite can be more sustainable and less polluting for the environment than conventional satellites,” she said Monday.

The timing of this innovation is crucial, as the number of satellites in Earth’s orbit continues to grow exponentially.

According to the satellite tracking website Orbiting Now, approximately 11,000 satellites, both active and inactive, currently orbit Earth. This number is expected to surge past 100,000 in the coming years, with major players in the space industry planning massive satellite constellation deployments.

SpaceX’s Starlink alone intends to launch around 40,000 satellites, while companies such as Amazon, OneWeb, and Guo Wang have similarly ambitious plans.

While LingoSat incorporates some traditional aluminum structures and electronic components, its wooden exterior panels represent a significant step toward more sustainable satellite design.

During its six-month orbital mission, the satellite will collect valuable data on how wood performs in the extreme environment of space.

Most satellites have a life span of approximately five years, and the regular deorbiting and atmospheric burn-up of the devices poses an ongoing environmental challenge.

So the success of LingoSat could pave the way for a new generation of environmentally friendly satellites.

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Reference

Murphy, D. M., Abou-Ghanem, M., Cziczo, D. J., Froyd, K. D., Jacquot, J., Lawler, M. J., Maloney, C., Plane, J. M. C., Ross, M. N., Schill, G. P., & Shen, X. (2023). Metals from spacecraft reentry in stratospheric aerosol particles. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 120(43), e2313374120. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2313374120