Wooden satellite | National Geographic

The mini-satellite that NASA and the JAXA – the Japanese space agency – can launch in 2024 in a joint mission. In addition to the huge and ever-increasing amount of satellites orbiting the Earth, there is also an amazing amount of thousands of tons of debris in orbit, all of which endanger the operating satellites and may not be able to burn up perfectly upon return. In addition, satellites made of metal damage the view of the night sky through their light reflection, endanger astronomical observations, and increase light pollution. Countless ideas have come up to reduce space junk, but the most effective would be if the space vehicles could be made of materials that would burn up in the atmosphere without problems.

The first in-space test of the raw material for Japanese wooden satellites took place in 2022. At that time, on the International Space Station, on the outside of the Kibo module, they investigated how wood reacts to the environmental effects of space. Tests showed that they were extremely resistant, neither temperature fluctuations nor various radiations caused deformation, cracks or other problems. As a result of the experiments, they decided on the wood material of magnolia, this wood seems ideal from countless points of view.

A satellite made of wood can be simpler than one made of metal, for example electromagnetic radiation penetrates wood, so there is no need to build protruding antennas on the satellite, it can also be placed inside the satellite. The first airplanes were also made of wood, with a similar strength to aluminum for the same weight. Although the living plants are damaged by the radiation, it did not cause any changes in the dead wood.

A Japanese professionals his test satellite is not as crazy as it seems at first glance, and remember, it is a test that either lives up to expectations or not, but you can definitely learn from it. For the time being, it is not possible to say whether the experiment will be of practical or economic benefit, but it could easily lead to technology that we cannot even dream of today.