World's first wooden satellite, developed in Japan, heads to space
www.abc.net.au
The palm-sized LignoSat is tasked with demonstrating the cosmic potential of the renewable material as humans explore living in space.

The world’s first wooden satellite, built in Japan, is being flown to the International Space Station on a SpaceX mission.

LignoSat will be released into orbit about 400km above the Earth, with researchers hoping it will prove wood is a space-grade material.

LignoSat will stay in orbit for six months, with the electronic components onboard measuring how wood endures the extreme environment of space.

Edit: added sunmary

    • Akrenion@slrpnk.netEnglish
      4·
      10 days ago

      Wood is plentiful. They are testing wether it is viable. This is the only way to find out whether it is smart or not.

    • tiredofsametab@fedia.io
      3·
      10 days ago

      It’s interesting. I wonder about how it holds up essentially being freeze-dried in space, but things with a short lifetime might be viable. Japan has always done interesting things with woodworking, so it seems a natural step. I used to be friends with a guy who directed funding to various projects and start-ups here in Japan and wish I could pick his brain about this (though I don’t believe he did anything with this).

    • gazter@aussie.zoneEnglish
      1·
      10 days ago

      It’s easier and cheaper to make wood than aluminium or steel. If it holds up, it would be a win.

      I imagine there’s all sorts of issues to iron out… The wood would have to be super dry, for example. Freeze thaw cycles in space are constant and extreme.

      I don’t think it’s the first time wood has been used in spacecraft- I vaguely remember oak heatshields being a thing.