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Japanese scientists plan to launch a satellite made of wood in 2023

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Kyoto University and Sumitomo Forestry Co. have come together in a plan to send the world’s first wooden satellite into space in 2023, according to scientists at the university.

wooden satellite
An artist’s rendering of the wooden satellite that Kyoto University and Sumitomo Forestry Co. plan to launch in 2023 (Kyoto University photo)

The move is intended to not only launch new technology for commercial satellites, but also help protect the environment high above the Earth’s surface.

The researchers plan to conduct experiments beginning in December on the International Space Station to measure the rate of deterioration of various types of wood in space. The semiconductor substrate of the planned satellite will be made of silicon, metal, plastic and other materials . However, the body of the satellite, which will measure between 10 and 11 cm on each side, will be made of wood.

Scientists have said no deterioration in quality was detected in tests conducted on woods from Japanese broadleaf magnolias, hinoki cypresses and cedars after they had been left for about three years in a laboratory at atmospheric pressure equivalent to to a location 100 kilometers high.

wooden satellite
Pieces of Japanese bigleaf magnolia, wild cherry and Erman’s birch will be examined for rates of deterioration after being exposed outside the International Space Station. (Photo by Kyoto University)

In the project, scientists will study how space affects wood by exposing three varieties of trees with different hardiness (large-leaved Japanese magnolia, mountain cherry and Erman’s birch) outside the ISS for about six months .

Satellite fuselages are now made primarily of aluminum. Those satellites are designed to burn up when they re-enter the atmosphere after completing their missions. However, the combustion process still disperses extremely small aluminum particles of several micrometers, which have the potential to damage rising rockets.

There is also concern that these tiny particles could affect Earth’s climate, said Takao Doi, an astronaut and professor at Kyoto University’s Space Synergistic Studies Unit.

“If the volume of those particles in space increases, they could deflect more sunlight, contributing to extreme weather events around the world, such as unusually high temperatures in some parts and the opposite in others,” he said.