Japan Launches "LignoSat" the World’s First Wooden Satellite, to Test Space-Grade Wood.

Science and Technology

Japan launched 'LignoSat', the world's first wooden satellite into space from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA. The satellite is scheduled to orbit the Earth for six months.


      - The satellite was launched on an unmanned SpaceX rocket with the goal of proving that wood is a space-grade material and understanding the feasibility of timber in space.

      - This 10-cubic centimeter (cm3) satellite was designed by researchers at Kyoto University and homebuilder Sumitomo Forestry in Japan.

      - The satellite was sent to the International Space Station (ISS) on a SpaceX mission and will be positioned approximately 400 kilometers (km) above Earth.

Main Points:-   (i) The mini-satellite was launched to test the viability of a renewable material in future space habitation and exploration.

      (ii) The Doi's team is planning an ambitious 50-year strategy to send timber structures to the Moon and Mars. The spacecraft is developed with NASA-certified wooden satellite, validating wood as a space-suited material.

(iii) Wooden satellites offer an environmental advantage as they produce minimal pollution and a low environmental footprint during re-entry, unlike metal satellites that release aluminum oxide; their success could potentially lead to a future ban on metal satellites.

          ____________________________