First-ever wooden satellite launched into space

The world's first wooden satellite, called LignoSat after the Latin word for wood, has been launched into space. The experiment aims to explore the potential of wood as a greener and renewable resource for space technology, as well as for future space missions to the Moon and Mars, Kazinform News Agency correspondent reports.

The 900-gram satellite, developed by Japanese scientists at Kyoto University, was sent to the International Space Station as part of a SpaceX mission and will soon be released into orbit 400 km above the Earth. The satellite is equipped with sensors to monitor the wood's response to extreme space conditions for six months.

Researchers at Kyoto University believe that wood could replace certain metals in space construction, as it would not rot or ignite in the absence of oxygen and water.

After a 10-month experiment aboard the International Space Station, researchers concluded that honoki, a kind of magnolia tree, is the most suitable material for spacecraft. The satellite was assembled using traditional methods without screws or glue.

As reported by Japan Today, Takao Doi, an astronaut and researcher of human space activities at Kyoto University, stated that with timber, a material that can be self-produced, humanity would have the capability to build houses, live, and work in space indefinitely.

Dr. Simeon Barber, a space research scientist from the UK’s Open University, highlighted the innovative concept of using wood in spacecraft, emphasizing its sustainability and renewability since it can be grown.

"The idea that you might be able to grow wood on another planet to help you explore space or make shelters - explorers have always used wood to make shelters when they've gone to a new land," Dr. Barber told the BBC.

However, he expressed doubt that the wood would solve the problem of space pollution.

"In principle having materials such as wood which can burn up more easily would reduce certainly those metallic contaminants... But you may end up taking more material with you in the first place just to burn it up on the way down," concudes space research scientist.

Dr. Barber also notes that there have been instances in history where wood was used in spacecraft, such as cork coatings on the outer shell to facilitate re-entry into the atmosphere.