SUSTAINABLE SPACECRAFT

Japan to Send World’s First Wooden Satellite into Orbit

Bringing eco-friendly tech to the final frontier.

Japan plans to send the world’s first wooden spacecraft into orbit this summer, pushing the boundaries of sustainable space travel through the launch of a tiny timber satellite. The LignoSat probe, the brainchild of Kyoto University researchers and the Japanese logging company Sumitomo Forestry, is made of magnolia wood and represents a potential alternative to metal spacecraft, which can hurt the earth’s atmosphere when they burn up upon reentry. “All the satellites which re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere burn and create tiny alumina particles, which will float in the upper atmosphere for many years,” Takao Doi, a Japanese astronaut and researcher, said. The aluminum particles could seriously deplete the ozone layer over time, prompting scientists to search for wooden alternatives, which would leave only biodegradable ash when burning up on reentry. They believe wood can withstand extreme conditions in space due to lack of oxygen and living creatures, which on Earth could lead to wood rotting or catching flame. Japan’s space agency will partner with NASA to coordinate the launch.