For the first time ever, a satellite made partly out of wood has been launched into space. The project is a test to see if wood could be a good building material for space. If the experiment works out, wooden satellites could someday help lower pollution in space.
In the past, satellites have always been made of metal. Now, scientists in Japan are testing the idea of a wooden satellite, which they call “LignoSat”. (“Ligno” comes from the Latin word for wood.)
LignoSat is a small cube-shaped satellite. It’s about 4 inches (10 centimeters) across. It has an aluminum frame to hold it together, and it has electronics inside, but the sides of the cube are made of wood.
A satellite made partly out of wood has been launched into space. LignoSat is a small cube-shaped satellite. It has an aluminum frame to hold it together, and it has electronics inside, but the sides of the cube are made of wood. Above, the LignoSat’s sensors being tested.
(Source: Kyoto University.)
The idea of using wood for satellites may sound strange, but there are some good reasons to try it. Wood is cheap and it doesn’t pollute. And in space, wood is tougher than on Earth, since there’s no water to make it rot or oxygen that would allow it to burn.
The idea for LignoSat came from Takao Doi, who’s a scientist and astronaut. In 2017, Mr. Doi wondered if it would be possible to grow trees in space, and then use the wood to build things.
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The idea for LignoSat came from Takao Doi, who’s a scientist and astronaut. In 2017, Mr. Doi wondered if it would be possible to grow trees in space, and then use the wood to build things. Above, Mr. Doi and the LignoSat in May, 2024.
The question got Mr. Doi and other scientists at Japan’s Kyoto University thinking about the idea of wood in space. They thought it might be possible to build a satellite out of wood. Koji Murata, one of the scientists behind the project, points out that in the early 1900s, “airplanes were made of wood.”
The idea was simple, but the project wasn’t easy. The team had to figure out what kind of wood would work best.
In 2022, the researchers sent samples of three kinds of wood to the International Space Station (ISS) for testing. The scientists tested birch, cherry, and a kind of Japanese magnolia called honoki. After eight months, the tests showed that all three kinds of wood were tough enough to stand up to the cold, heat, and radiation in space.
In 2022, the researchers sent samples of three kinds of wood into space for testing (above). The scientists tested birch, cherry, and a kind of Japanese magnolia called honoki. All three kinds of wood worked well in space, but the researchers chose honoki wood for the satellite.
(Source: Kyoto University.)
For the final satellite, the researchers chose honoki wood. This wood is light and strong, and doesn’t crack easily.
To create the satellite’s wooden panels, the team used a Japanese woodworking method called sashimono. The method doesn’t use nails or glue. Instead, the pieces are carefully cut to fit together tightly.
On Monday, a SpaceX rocket carried LignoSat to the ISS. In December, the satellite will be put into orbit around the Earth.
On Monday, a SpaceX rocket carried LignoSat to the ISS. In December, the satellite will be put into orbit around the Earth. Over the next six months, sensors inside the satellite will help measure how well the wood holds up. Above, the LignoSat during its final safety inspection.
(Source: Kyoto University.)
Over the next six months, sensors inside the satellite will help measure how well the wood holds up. One important question is how much the wood will expand and shrink as the temperature changes. In space, the temperature can go from 212°F (100°C) to -148°F (-100°C) in just an hour.
If the experiment works, wooden satellites could one day help reduce pollution. Satellites normally burn up as they come back into the Earth’s atmosphere. Burning metal satellites leave behind a cloud of pollution. But when wood burns, it only leaves water and carbon dioxide behind.
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The researchers have even bigger plans for the distant future. They hope that one day it may be possible to grow trees on the moon or Mars, and use the wood to build things.