By SHIORI OGAWA/ Staff Writer
October 4, 2023 at 17:05 JST
A prototype wooden satellite being developed by Kyoto University and Sumitomo Forestry Co. (Shiori Ogawa)
Researchers at Kyoto University and Sumitomo Forestry Co. are designing an eco-friendly wooden satellite they plan to launch into space next year.
If successful, this will be the first of its kind in the world.
“We hope the day will come when we can utilize wooden materials in space,” said Takao Doi, an astronaut and professor at Kyoto University, who is part of the research team.
“We want to first show that a wooden satellite can be launched successfully, that it is possible.”
The tiny satellite would measure 10 centimeters on all sides, have a wooden body and include additional silicon, metals and plastic in its construction.
Last year, Kyoto University scientists conducted an experiment, exposing three types of timber to the vacuum of space outside the International Space Station for 10 months to record how the strong cosmic rays and severe temperature changes impacted each material.
The wood, Japanese big-leaf magnolia, Erman’s birch and yamazakura (Cerasus jamasakura), showed very little deterioration during the experiment.
The scientists decided to use Japanese big-leaf magnolia, which is also used in sword sheaths, to build their satellite since it is lightweight and not prone to chipping. It’s uniform material quality also holds up well during changes in temperature.
However, even high quality wood is not as uniform in strength compared to metals, so developing a wooden satellite body requires a lot of trial and error and changes to the design.
Despite this drawback, using wooden materials in space may have environmental benefits.
The many satellites launched around the world in recent years have all been made of metal, and the debris created when these satellites fall back to Earth can no longer be ignored.
Satellites are designed to burn up upon re-entry after completing their missions, but the burning process still disperses extremely small aluminum particles into the atmosphere. These particles can lead to air pollution, and, if they reflect sunlight, could also impact the Earth’s climate.
A wooden satellite, on the other hand, would leave no trace when it re-entered the atmosphere.
The Kyoto University team plans to launch its wooden satellite into space from a U.S. rocket as early as fiscal 2024.
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