NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) are preparing to launch the world’s first ever satellite made of timber into space in Summer 2024. The aim of this satellite is to enhance the sustainability of space travel.
LignoSat is constructed from magnolia wood, which has demonstrated exceptional stability and resistance to cracking in experiments conducted on the International Space Station (ISS). Final preparations are underway for its launch on a US rocket later this summer.
Researchers at Kyoto University and the logging company Sumitomo Forestry collaborated to build the timber satellite, aiming to explore the feasibility of using biodegradable materials like wood as eco-friendly alternatives to the metals typically used in satellite construction.
“Despite the extreme environment of outer space involving significant temperature changes and exposure to intense cosmic rays and dangerous solar particles for ten months, tests confirmed no decomposition or deformations, such as cracking, warping, peeling, or surface damage” a recent press release from Kyoto University stated.
When satellites re-enter Earth’s atmosphere, they burn up and create tiny alumina particles that can remain suspended in the upper atmosphere for extended periods which will affect the environment. Researchers in Kyoto initiated a project to assess various types of wood to gauge their durability during the demanding conditions of space launch and prolonged orbits around Earth to mitigate this issue.
“Wood’s ability to withstand these conditions astounded us,” Koji Murata, head of the project said.
The researchers tested several types of wood, including Japanese cherry, but found that wood from magnolia trees exhibited the highest durability. This wood was selected to construct Kyoto’s wooden satellite, which will carry out various experiments to evaluate its performance in orbit, according to Murata.
If the LignoSat proves successful during its orbital operation, it could pave the way for using wood as a construction material for additional satellites. With an estimated 2,000 spacecraft expected to be launched annually in the future, the aluminum deposited into the upper atmosphere as they burn up during re-entry could become a significant environmental concern. Using biodegradable materials like wood could mitigate these potential issues.
When these wooden satellites burn up upon re-entry into the atmosphere at the end of their missions, they would only produce a fine spray of biodegradable ash, eliminating concerns about aluminum deposition. So satellites constructed of wood, such as LignoSat, would not pose the same issue.
The significance of using a biodegradable material is that it is environmentally friendly and represents the best alternative to non-biodegradable materials, which could potentially lead to extinction within the next 2,000 years. This development offers hope that even after the depletion of non-biodegradable materials, satellites and other technologies can continue to function sustainably.
Murata mentioned that a final decision regarding the launch vehicle had yet to be made. The options have been narrowed down to a summer flight on an Orbital Sciences Cygnus supply ship to the ISS or a slightly later SpaceX Dragon mission.
