The world’s first wooden-paneled satellite has been launched into space to test the suitability of wood as a renewable building material in future explorations of destinations such as the moon and Mars.
The small satellite, made by researchers in Japan, weighs just 900 grams and is headed to the International Space Station for a SpaceX mission. It will then be released into orbit above Earth.
The panels, called LignoSat, after the Latin word for wood, are constructed from a type of magnolia tree, using a traditional technique without screws or glue.
Researchers from Kyoto University who developed it hope that in the future it may be possible to replace some metals used in space exploration with wood.
“Wood is more durable in space than on Earth because there is no water or oxygen that would cause it to rot or catch fire,” Koji Murata, a professor of forestry at Kyoto University, told Reuters.
“Airplanes from the early 20th century were made of wood,” says Professor Murata. “A wooden satellite should also be feasible.”
If trees could one day be planted on the moon or Mars, wood could also provide material for colonies in space in the future, the researchers hope.
In addition to the wooden panels, LignoSat also contains traditional aluminum constructions and electronic components. It has sensors on board to monitor how the wood reacts to the extreme environment of space during the six months it orbits Earth.
Dr. Simeon Barber, a space researcher at Britain’s Open University, said: “We should be clear that this is not a satellite made entirely of wood… but the premise behind the idea is really interesting.
“From a sustainability perspective, wood is a material that can be grown and is therefore renewable,” he told the BBC.
“The idea that you could 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 said it wasn’t the first time wood had been used in spacecraft.
“We use wood – cork – on the outer shell of spacecraft ships to help them survive reentry into Earth’s atmosphere.”
Russian and Soviet lunar landers used cork to give the rover traction as it descended to the surface, he added.
“There’s nothing wrong with using wood in space; it’s using the right material for the right job.”
He pointed out that wood has properties that are difficult to control.
“So from an engineering point of view, it’s a pretty difficult material to work with… I think wood will always have a problem making critical structures, like spacecraft parts, where you have to predict how strong it will be.”
The Kyoto University researchers hope that using wood to make spacecraft could also be much less polluting than metal ones when they burn up upon re-entry at the end of their lives.
Experts have warned of the increasing threat of space debris falling to Earth as more spacecraft and satellites are launched.
Dr. Barber acknowledged that the space industry is under increasing pressure because of the amount of pollution it puts into the atmosphere, but he was skeptical that using wooden spacecraft could provide the answer.
“In principle, having materials like wood that burn more easily would certainly reduce those metal contaminants… But you may end up taking more material with you to burn on the way down in the first place.”
