Japanese researchers have sent a wooden satellite into space for the first time. The mini satellite was launched into space from the Kennedy Space Center in the US state of Florida on a rocket from space company SpaceX, designers from Kyoto University and the timber company Sumitomo Forestry announced on Tuesday.
The cube-shaped satellite made of magnolia wood with an edge length of just ten centimeters was flown safely into space in a special container built by the Japanese space agency Jaxa, the institutions involved in the project explained. A spokeswoman for Sumitomo Forestry confirmed the “successful” launch.
The first destination of the satellite, called Lignosat, is the International Space Station (ISS). After about a month in the Japanese research module, it will then be sent into space to test its durability, the company spokeswoman said. Using data that the satellite itself sends to Earth, the researchers want to determine whether it can withstand stress such as extreme temperature fluctuations.
Complete combustion
When it reenters Earth’s atmosphere, the wooden satellite will burn up completely. In this way, unlike conventional satellites, no metal particles are released, which can have negative consequences for the environment and telecommunications.
“Satellites that are not made of metal should become the standard,” said astronaut Takao Doi, a researcher at Kyoto University, when he introduced the project in May.
Source: Krone
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