First (partly) wooden satellite launched
November 5, 2024 – For the first time in history, a satellite made largely of wood has been launched into space. This milestone has been reported by various news agencies, including Reuters. The experimental satellite, named Lignosat, was developed by Kyoto University in collaboration with the home-building company Sumitomo Forestry. Lignosat will orbit Earth for a year at an altitude of approximately 400 kilometers.
The miniature satellite weighs less than a kilogram and features wooden exterior panels, among other components. According to the Japanese researchers, wood proves to be more durable in the space environment than on Earth, as the absence of water and oxygen prevents it from rotting or igniting.
A previous ten-month experiment conducted on board the International Space Station (ISS) demonstrated that, despite the harsh conditions in space—including extreme temperature fluctuations and exposure to intense cosmic radiation and hazardous solar particles—the wood showed no signs of decomposition or damage, such as cracks, warping, peeling, or surface deterioration.
