Surprising Wooden Satellite Makes News Around the World: Japanese engineers have created a special satellite that is not like typical satellites made of metal. Instead, it’s made of wood, which is unexpected.
Reported by Japan Times, scientists from Kyoto University and Sumitomo Forestry, a logging company in Tokyo, teamed up to build this wooden satellite. It’s set to launch in September on Elon Musk’s Falcon 9 rocket.
The wooden satellite will lift off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and head to the International Space Station (ISS). From there, it will be released from Japan’s Kibo module to see how well it holds up in space.
Named LignoSat, this small cube-shaped satellite is made from magnolia wood. It measures 4 inches on each side and weighs just over 2 pounds, according to Gizmodo.
The idea for a wooden satellite came about four years ago when scientists were looking for low-cost solutions to satellite technology and ways to reduce space debris.
Although the satellite isn’t entirely wooden, some parts are still made of aluminum. But the wooden parts will burn up completely when the satellite reenters Earth’s atmosphere.
This wooden satellite experiment is an innovative approach to space exploration and could pave the way for more sustainable satellite technology in the future.
